The tough climate made it very difficult for the colonists to survive. The extreme weather in Jamestown resulted in the death of many settlers. According to the “Background Essay”, “Of the 110 original settlers, only 40 would be alive at the end of December.” This tells that during December, the season would be Winter. This means that due to the cold and harsh Winters, the colonists could have died. The rough Winter most likely was the cause to 70 deaths.
Insurance companies were pounded after the storm with many insurance claims due to all the flooding and wind damage. A lot of policies would not cover the flooding that was caused by storm surge. This left a lot of people with no money to fix their homes and an insurance policy that is useless. Not only were the people homeless, but also lost all of their clothes, beds, and valuables. Many of the valuables and memories could not be replaced.
Bartering had been common in medieval times which show how people resorted to previous looked down upon activities. Pensioners on fixed incomes suffered as pensions became worthless. Restaurants did not print menus as by the time food arrives…the price had gone up! The poor became even poorer and the winter of 1923 meant that many lived in freezing conditions burning furniture, or in some cases, banknotes, to get some heat. The group that suffered a great deal - proportional to their income - was the middle class.
There was a huge traffic jam to even get to the park. b. There were no public drinking fountains working in the whole park. c. Many of the vendors ran out of food. d. The asphalt on the ground was so new that women’s heels were sinking into it.
Walter says that “To further increase our discomfort, it was snowing hard. The wind was blowing the flakes around so hard you could barely see. What was worse, we were not properly equipped for that type of weather” (Barnes). He also says the snow was about two feet deep. The grueling conditions surely affected the way the battle was fought, especially that when the weather was too bad the allies couldn’t use air support to help the
Then I got angry at the government (state and federal), and our Governor in this great state of Michigan. The many new homeless are people just like you and me. This is due to the downturn in the economy nationwide and especially with the auto industry here in Michigan. The parents of these children have lost everything except their children. This is one of the main reasons that we don’t know a true number of the “homeless children” in this state.
Frequently we do these things blind to what’s going on around us or what is happening in our communities because of the constant preparation for the holiday. Many people are unable to celebrate the holidays because they are burdened by a debilitating disease, addiction. During the holidays if we slow down just a bit and take time to notice what’s going on outside of our own selves we may notice that there are those less fortunate all around us. In December when it’s very cold outside you may encounter some of these people panhandling on U.S. 40 at the Wal-Mart intersection in Richmond, Indiana. They may be standing at the intersection with signs asking for money or sometimes they may even have a sign asking for money to buy a beer.
In one instance, the forbidding weather alludes to the pessimist attitudes that will come; “But on the 21st of December, the snow began to fall. The flakes came down so thickly that from the sitting-room windows I could not see beyond the windmill- its frame looked dim and gray, unsubstantial like a shadow” (52). This quote symbolizes how Jim does not know what will become of him or his new friends. The uncertainties of how families will get by in the winter. Later in the novel, the Shimerda’s find it difficult to gather enough food to feed the family.
There’s been a lot of hype recently about the effects of global warming and the impact of mankind on our environment. Living in Chamonix I have witnessed the worst winter I can remember in terms of snow levels. It was a very slow start to the season with Christmas holiday makers only just getting a dusting of snow over the festive break to keep them entertained with just the odd flurry from then on for the next month. The expected snow falls that kept appearing on the local weather guides failed to arrive and there was just the occasional dump through out the season to appease the powder hungry skiers and snowboarders. When the heavens finally opened in February the usual low temperatures were not apparent and what snow had been there previously
A woman came to greet us and-although it seemed incredibly crowded as it was-showed us where we were to stay. As time passed by I learned that the air quality was very un-healthy, it has an extremely foul smell from all the waste people throw in the streets. The apartment was freezing in the winter and scorching hot in the summer. In the winter, it is impossible to keep warm but in the summer we resort to sleeping outside. I also found that it was impossible to get water in the winter because it was frozen and we had no