China Snow Storm Red Alert
This past week has been pretty unbearable. Life in China has been cold, very cold.
The government has issued a nationwide red alert because of heavy snowstorms that has put this country in a state of shock. Transportation is no longer working, trains and busses have stopped mid-way or slowed down to a crawl. To rub salt into wound, now is the time when people travel home to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year - the most important holiday in China.
In some cities, there has been no electricity nor water for 4 days. Many people are trying to book planes to South China because of the relatively warmer climate.
Here in Zhuhai, it has been around 5-6 degrees Celcius for the past week. Traditionally a warm and subtropical city, there are no heaters in the apartments. Basically, the temperature inside is the same as the temperature outside. Right now I’m wearing a thick jacket in my own apartment and my toes are freezing to death! Showering and getting out of bed have become a nightmare. In the neighboring city of Guangzhou, 200,000+ people have camped several days in wait for a train that will take them home for the New Year.
Business has also been affected. I can not ship anything outside of this province, and am forced to rely on local services which have greatly increased costs. Also, packages are taking longer to reach their destination. In result, more complaints have been received. It has been a hectic time. Many here have related these events to those in the movie The Day After Tomorrow, and I tend more and more to agree. There’s no denying that climate change is happening.
Luckily, the snowstorm is almost over (according to forecasts). From Monday next week, the temperature will start to gradually increase to the nice and warm subtropical Zhuhai again. Hopefully I’ll be able to switch my jacket for a t-shirt.
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
hi carl, here in zhuhai with you - love to find other english speakers. i have been managing with space heaters, though they are expensive to run, and a special warm place i like to visit which is very nice, just up the road from me - keep in touch - thanks! brad
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Interesting, what is that “special place” of yours?
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
be happy to email you private on that
brad
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hi Carl,
I didn’t realise you were back in China, I though you had gone back home. If you don’t mind, can I ask why you’ve went back?
The weather doesn’t sound good at all! Now you know what it feels like to live in Scotland, lol. We’ve had wind, rain, hail and snow this week and it’s very cold.
Hope everything goes ok.
- Steven
February 6th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Must be like a nightmare when the normal weather is tropical. Even though I’m used to cold climate, (Go Sweden!) I’m still amazed over the weather sometimes…
February 8th, 2008 at 5:05 am
True! At least we have heaters in Sweden.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
[…] returned during the winter of 2007, one of China’s coldest winters in decades. I booked two nights at a local hotel and began hunting for an apartment to rent. I found a good […]