To make Comments write directly to Jim at jimt@quixotic.ca
26
Jul
2018
Water bombers roar low above the treetops.
Smoke billows black against the sky.
Flames flicker up trees.
Sirens wail.
Pack up --
Right now.
Fifteen minutes.
Don’t talk,
just do it.
Find suitcases.
How many days’ underwear will I need?
Categories: Poetry
Tags: Forest fires, evacuation orders
17
2017
Fires are always good fodder for news stories.
They’re vastly more visual than meetings where dark-suited dignitaries sit in stone circles. Stonehenge shows more animation.
The nature worshippers who created Stonehenge might, in fact, have more understanding of the causes of this summer’s fires than we do.
Amid the smoke (and mirrors), a few still small voices have whispered the words, “climate change.” The gradual warming of the Pacific Ocean affects air flow patterns over the continent. As a result, summers get hotter, or wetter. Winters get colder, or milder. Which sounds confusing, even contradictory. Which is precisely what’s happening. As the air flow loops look more and more like a snake with constipation, weather becomes unpredictable.
The only sure thing is that whatever comes, it will be more extreme than expected.
Categories: Sharp Edges
Tags: Forest fires, BC, Suzanne Simard