Natural Disasters

Two weeks ago, the eruption of an underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga sent ash tens of thousands of feet into the sky and tsunami waves across thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean (New York Times, January 15, 2022). The eruption set off tsunami warnings around the Pacific Rim and along the entire west coast of the United States, where some residents were told to avoid low-lying coastal areas. The “boom” from the eruption was heard 1,430 miles away in New Zealand.

Have you ever seen so much confusion? Today’s events and the decisions being made on a whole host of issues are frustrating. Far too often, our leaders’ actions defy common sense.

Opposing opinions and a divisive spirit result in social unrest in a wide variety of areas, such as education, health, masks, vaccinations, crime, policing, climate and the environment, energy, national borders and immigration, politics, voting, the approach of and limits to governmental powers, marriage, gender, sexual identity, race, economics, and a host of other cultural issues.

Weather patterns around the globe in 2021 seemed incredibly severe, and at the same time, confusing. In fact, the contrast has even surprised some scientists who have seen severe flooding in places like China, across Asia, and in European mountain villages (The Conversation, December 21, 2021), while at the same time, intensifying droughts plagued Canada, Greece, Australia, and the U.S.

A once-in-a-century weather event has caused tremendous flooding in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area (BBC, November 17, 2021). The storm dropped the monthly average rainfall in just 24 hours. The flooding and landslides have disrupted both the Trans-Canada highway and rail transportation to the port of Vancouver. A state of emergency was declared, and Canadian armed forces are assisting with the disaster.