To the Editor,
Today there’s a slight breeze
I hope I don’t freeze
Oh where the devil
Did I store that snow shovel?
At this point in time, I wouldn’t be averse to shoveling a little snow. The heat wave that we’ve experienced was unprecedented and records, as you know, were broken across the country. We got awfully close to plus-40 in Parksville, which is a little scary. According to Environment Canada, Lytton had record temperatures of 46.6 C on a Sunday, 45.7 Celsius on a Monday and more than 49 C on the Tuesday afternoon. We’re breaking records like never before.
The coronavirus pandemic and threat of COVID-19 has kept us indoors for the past year and a half, now this heat wave is doing the same. I don’t remember what “normal” looks like anymore. Thank God we still have ice cream, ice-cold beer, air conditioning and cold showers.
The biggest concern is in letting our guard down by not being cautious enough during these intense days. I’m seeing way too many people not wearing hats, sunglasses, or suntan lotion. Also, a lot of people were caught unawares by not having sufficient fans or portable air conditioners, and not nearly enough people kept properly hydrated.
This weather phenomenon will certainly happen a lot more frequently in future. Are we prepared for it? How many of us are planning for next time? And are we checking on our elderly neighbours enough?
Now is the time to purchase fans and somehow find ways to finance at least a small portable air conditioner. How about arranging to fix those pesky outdoor water hoses or replacing old worn-out watering systems, instead of trying to do so during a heat wave?
For those of you who are unaware, more than 800 people died in B.C. because of the recent five-day heat wave, which is truly tragic.
Yes, there will be a next time…
Ron Gobeil,
Parksville
