Thursday, December 16, 2010

Now You Come?!


I often hear people saying it's not wise to live too close to Nature's major elements; in fact, it's quite dangerous: forests present us with the danger of Fire, waters - danger of Floods, volcanoes - eruption of Lava and so on.
With the global climate becoming crazy (as a result of frequent nuclear experiments performed in various parts of the world), things are going to be worse as far as natural disasters are concerned.

At the beginning of this month, terrible fires broke out in the forests of Mt. Carmel in the north of Israel causing loss of lives, of property, and consumming thousands of acres of forestland. People living on the mountain and its surroundings (among them a cousin of mine and his family) had to evacuate themselves.


Rain would have saved the situation, but there was no sign of it.
It was hot and dry, and the fire was spreading so quickly (helped by a deceiving cool breeze) that the firefighters on the ground were totally helpless. PM Netanyau had to ask for foreign assistance. Firefighting aircraft sent by the other countries did a good job in extinguishing the fire (especially the russian plane capable of holding up to 42,000 liters of water) .

A week or so after the disaster, heavy rains started to fall all over the country. 'Now you come?!' raged the headlines in the newspapers.


Well, the rain and the storm accompanying it caused damage to all sorts of cables , (including my phone cable) leaving people without electricity, TV, internet, etc.. The phone company was supposed to send someone the next day to repair my cable, but the technician appeared after... several days. I was so angry , that all I could say to him when he came in was : Now you come?!

37 comments:

  1. Sobering thoughts regarding the weather. Take care.

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  2. Sorry you had to wait, that is so frustrating. We are "iced in" today...last weekend it was a blizzard. The weather seems to have gone insane everywhere!

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  3. I thought about you when I read about the fires - I'm glad you're safe, if annoyed. :)

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  4. I'm glad more people weren't hurt by that fire; forest fires are dangerous and unpredictable, especially when they get large. But as for living close to nature being dangerous, I think it is no more dangerous than living in a city, it's just that the dangers are different.

    I really appreciate that you're such a faithful follower, Duta. I don't know how you find the time, but I thank you!

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  5. The fire on the Mountain sound's like many we have here in the States. Yes, it would of been wonderful for the rain to have put out the fire instead of man. The loss of lives saddens me.

    I'm so sorry you had to deal without power and communication, that happens allot 'round these parts due to winter ice storms, tornadoes and high winds. I wish if it's gonna take several days to get to the outage they'd just say so instead of makin' empty promises. I'm never a happy camper when this happens either.

    God bless ya and hopefully your up and goin' strong again!!!

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  6. So sorry, to be without phone and internet closes one off from the outside world!
    I guess Elijah wasn't on the Carmel to pray for rain (don't mean that sarcastically, but I do wonder what it meant - no need to answer, it's a rhetorical question)

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  7. I think WHERE you live -whether near a forest, a volcano, an ocean, or downtown somewhere, is not nearly as important as HOW you live...and all of mankind is guilty of living mindlessly, without thought for the consequences of their actions for far too long. "Now is the time for all good men to come to the life of the..planet." ok...stepping down from my soapbox now.

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  8. Sad to hear about all of the losses incurred by the fire. I understand your frustrations, as well. Where I live (Wisconsin), we have a lot of forest land, but (fortunately) we rarely have fires.

    In the 1870's, however, there was a fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, on the same day as the Chicago fire. The Peshtigo fire killed over 1,000 people, and is the record for the most people in America killed by a fire. I have gone through Peshtigo several times, and stopped at their museum. Literally, there was nothing left after the fire. Very sad.

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  9. It must be a shocking news..the Mt Camel's...Hope it recover soon....

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  10. I'm glad you are ok...even without the phone :)

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  11. I hope you and your cousin recover from the disaster. Best wishes from far away...

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  12. I'm afraid there will be much more unpredictable disasters to come. Fire and floods are the worst. So sorry your services were disrupted. We used to be without power and services for weeks at a time due to snow/ice storms. Best we could do was make fires in the fireplace, cook on the wood stove and make a family experience out of it. What's strange is that my grown sons remember these times with great fondness while they have forgotten the expensive trips we took together. Go figure. Anyway, Duta, I am glad you came through it and are back connected. I feel sorrow for those who were forced out of their homes and the losses. Such a terrible thing to have happen.

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  13. Now that is NATURE. But you have personified it so well here by saying, "Now you come." How much we yearn to control Nature, at times. We realise that we are nothing before its whims and fancy!

    Joy always,
    Susan

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  14. Trevor Woodford,

    I think the weather is very much on everyone's mind lately. People are concerned about it.

    Sue (Someone's Mom),

    Waiting was indeed frustrating; the weather everywhere is indeed going insane.

    The Bug,

    Thanks a lot for your concern regarding my safety.

    Dimple,

    They say this fire was a result of visitors' negligence. Two youngsters were arrested but soon released.

    As to your question, I find the time to be a follower the same way you find the time to be my follower. Where there'a will, there's a way, as they say.

    Nezzy,

    I know that fires and power outages happen in your country too. It's mighty frustrating wherever and whenever it happens.

    Jeannette,

    Religious circles have organized prayers at the synagogues and at the Wailing Wall; It helped bring rain , but it was too late for the fire.

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  15. Susan,

    I totally agree with your HOW you live, and your mention of the sin of mankind towards Nature. It's not too late to do something positive about it.

    Bica,

    Your account of the fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin is both sad and interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    nomore,

    Shocking indeed. It will take years for the forest on Mt. Carmel to achieve full recovery.

    Vert Ange,

    You're right ,of course. Thank you for your warm words.

    JoLynne Lyon,

    Thanks a lot for your kind wishes. Hope everybody here will recover from the trauma.

    C Hummel Kornell a/k/a C Hummel Wilson,

    I'm not surprised about the "selective" memory of your sons. It's easier to remember the hard times, and I believe they feel not only fondness but also pride for what they've experienced then.
    Thanks for sharing your interesting reminiscences.

    Susan Deborah,

    Indeed so; we are helpless before Nature's whims.
    I wish you joy too and a wonderful weekend!

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  16. Mother nature is not only the beauty. There is the other side of the coin! The most important thing is that you are safe. These things happen and are repeated over the centuries. Hugs

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  17. I'm so glad you and your cousins are all safe. I know about the fires living here in Southern Ca., we have tons of them every year. It is so scary, especially when the rains come right after and cause landslides.

    Mother nature can be so unpredictable...apparently just like like the phone/cable guy!

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  18. Phivos Nicolaides,

    Right. There are two sides to every coin, and natural disasters do repeat themselves.

    Toyin O,

    Welcome! Thank you for your kind words.

    Lisa Petrarca,

    I've heard a lot about California fires and always felt emphaty for the people of the afflicted area.
    Maybe scientists will find a way someday to tame Mother Nature.

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  19. Yes! the weather is on every ones mind, lately. So sorry for the pain of disasters
    kim

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  20. Stuff could always be worse,

    Thanks for your kind words. As the title of your blog implies, it xcould have been worse.

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  21. Oh how awful. It seems as if the world is so very full of tragedies of different types and sizes...makes one stop and think how greatful they are if they are safe and sound in their home. I hope all have recovered from the fires. I can certainly understand the frustration of waiting for services to arrive...we seem to feel isolated when such things happen. Hope everything is up and running smoothly for you!

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  22. Oh the weather! How it governs all our lives! Hope you stay safe, Duta.

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  23. What can I say?! Not all the things are the way we want them.

    But I still believe that living close to nature is a better way. We are part of Nature!

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  24. Cheryl,

    Everyday the world informs us of a new disaster in some place. We're but pions in the hands of Mother Nature, and have to do our best to adjust to its play.

    Vera,

    I must admit, Weather is on top of my list when it comes to quality living.

    robert,

    Living 'close' - yes, but not 'too close.

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  25. How awful for you DUTA. First off I hope your cousin and his family are ok and that they didn't lose their home. Second, I'm so happy that they were able to get your phone and internet lines back up, even though you did have to wait quite a while for it.

    It's amazing to me how we as humans are at the whim of Mother Nature. We can build strong houses and offices and do all we can to try to protect ourselves but when nature decides to wreak havoc on us, sometimes there is nothing we can do.

    Currently we are experiencing a deluge of rainfall and it's causing lots of flooding and evacuations and our governor has called our County in a state of disaster. Luckily my home is built on a raised foundation so I'm ok, but it's sad to see so many struggling during the holidays.

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  26. Alicia,

    Yes, we are all OK now, Thank God.
    Nature never ceases to surprise us with its whims. I'm glad your home, Alicia, is properly built. Let's hope nobody in your region gets hurt by the floods.

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  27. DUTA, I think we can all see that weather patterns are becoming more and more extreme and unpredictable. There will be more and more floods, droughts, and fires. Not to mention human interventions that will create more instability in the environment, like horizontal hydro-fracturing for natural gas, which is going on in the USA right now. It's very concerning. And most of the damage is caused by greed, by the Powers That Be.

    I'm sorry you had to endure the anguish and loss of the fires. Did your cousin have a house to return to? I certainly hope so.

    Wishing you blessings and peace of mind, DUTA, at this holiday season!

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  28. Happy Holidays and greetings from Romania!
    Daliana

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  29. Lynda Lehman,

    Luckily, my cousin's house wasn't damaged.
    I totally agree with you on climate and human negative interventions. Let's hope for the best.
    Blessings to you too!

    Wind,

    Thanks Daliana. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

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  30. Duta
    I hope no one was injured during the fires. But is it not wonderful that other countries chipped in to help. As for the rain at least it is not dry now so maybe no further fires will appear. We all and I am including myself are spoiled with our modern day convenience. However, there are plenty of folks who would be happy to suffer our minor inconveniences. I for one am truly Blessed. Merry Christmas and a Glorious New Year. Peace be with you.

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  31. Craciun fericit si bucurii alaturi de cei dragi!

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  32. Lady Di Tn,

    Help from other countries - that's the beautiful side of world relations. By the way, Israel is always the first to offer assistance to a country in case of disaster.
    Happy holidays and a wonderful New Year to you and yours!

    robert,

    Multumesc. La fel si tie - Sarbatori Fericite si un An Nou cu sanatate si prosperitate!!

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  33. Merry Christmas Duta.
    Thank God you are safe.
    Have a wondrful New year ahead.
    Regards.

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  34. Regina,

    Best Wishes to you too!

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  35. Now I need to say to you Happy New Year!!!

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  36. nomore,

    Happy New Year to you too! May the new year 2011 bring you good health and prosperity!

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