Climate Crises in the Midst of a Pandemic
/A Personal Essay
By Patrick Moore
If you haven’t already realized, we at Fairewinds have been rather quiet and disconnected for the last few weeks. Many of you, our viewers and followers, have written about what you are facing in your lives, and a lot has been happening in our lives, too. We are taking this opportunity to do something slightly different with our blog by introducing the first post in a collection of essays that will deal directly with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is impacting everything from our own personal lives to the challenging management of nuclear facilities and regulations here in the US and all around the world.
As a member of the Fairewinds Crew and an avid believer in the scientific consensus concerning climate change, I fully recognize the sheer importance of combatting the international climate crises happening around the globe. It seems that with each passing year, as climate change worsens and little has been done to face this challenge together, we all continue to see worsening storms and/or weather patterns here in the US and abroad. I was asked by Maggie and Arnie to give a quick synopsis of my own personal experience with the climate emergency – to use Greta Thunberg’s term to describe what all of us are facing.
On April 12, at around 11:25PM, a tornado warning was put into effect where I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee (TN). Only mere minutes later an EF3-classified tornado hit the neighborhood where I was living. Although it lasted only seconds, it left a mile-wide path of destruction throughout southeastern Tennessee stretching from Chattanooga, TN to Cleveland, TN. To say that the storm hit at an inopportune moment is an understatement, especially since all of us were already living under safe-at-home orders instituted by Tennessee officials due to the COVID-19 viral pandemic.
As a result of the EF3 tornado, I was left without electricity, access to internet services, water, and even telephone along with 50,000+ other Chattanooga residents. For the most part, the lack of internet services was due to the damage wrought on the electrical SMART/fiber-optic grid built and maintained by our publicly owned utility, Electric Power Board (EPB). At the same time (without any power or water because basic services were so damaged), many people were left completely homeless during this oddly unprecedented time in our nation’s existence. Home, after all, is our safe space, especially from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The following morning, we were able to assess the damage and found that the tornado had uprooted a large oak tree that fell on our house causing limbs to crash into the kitchen. That alone impacted our ability to eat and provide for ourselves at the same time that restaurants, cafes, etc. were all closed. All of us were lucky enough to be alive and none of our pets were hurt during this catastrophic weather event. The damage went beyond the house itself. The windshield of my car was shattered and front-end was damaged so badly that my passenger-side door would not open at all. Thankfully, I had insurance, but it would still take away my ability to drive and get necessities while the repairs were carried out.
I have grown up in and around Chattanooga for most of my life, with some of that time spent in Vermont for work and school. I have never personally experienced or witnessed such a damaging weather event, even though I have lived through numerous rain/thunderstorms, floods, tornados, and snow/sleet storms/blizzards. This time, however, my car and the home I was living in were heavily damaged in only a matter of seconds. The sound, which sounded like a train was just outside, is unforgettable. Before I headed to the basement, I saw what looked like constant flashes of lightning out our windows, and it felt absolutely terrifying to wonder what was actually happening outside. I wondered how all of us living in this area would face the aftermath of such a violent storm.
I want to use this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to the first responders and other emergency personnel, whose quick and selfless efforts helped so many of us who were so severely impacted by the EF3 tornado that devastated my own and so many other communities in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. The overall cost of the damage for the area is still being assessed. Personally, I can give you all an idea of just how bad it was in my own situation: my car damage was estimated at more than $6,000+, the house repairs costed $40,000+, and a local school suffered $18million in damage.
For the record, I have been working remotely for almost 1-year, and while there were several times where I could not work due to bad storms and brief power outages, as I said earlier, I have never experienced such a damaging storm as this one was. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I was left unable to access any internet service anywhere I have done so before, like a library, an on-campus location (where I happen to be pursuing my graduate degree), or even a Starbucks or other internet infused café! Finally, this past Monday, 22 days later, I regained internet access and could work again – in my own safe space!
For me, this experience poignantly highlighted the importance of a safe place to call home, and the cultural importance and safety is coupled with the necessity of equal internet access wherever someone lives. Now, due to COVID-19, many more people are forced to work from home and children and other students must be able to access the internet since most classes are now teaching people to learn virtually. My experience with the ongoing pandemic and a coinciding catastrophic weather event clearly shows the necessity of a safe living space to call home along with secure and stable internet access. It is no secret to me that people of all ages in the U.S. and around the world need the internet to communicate, learn, and work!
I know many people who have needed to work remotely, connect with family members far away, and even utilize the security of telemedicine appointments with doctors and nurses to ascertain the medical issues they were or are currently facing. Similarly, Silicon Valley innovators have given all of us an incredible new future with global connectivity and the opportunity to share our culture, music, writing, science, poetry, theater, dance, movement with the entire global community. If our economy is going to continue to grow and thrive, we must responsibly take advantage of these unique technological opportunities to heal ourselves and our planet.
Keep an eye out for more posts. Fairewinds will keep you informed.
