The Weather

Rain has fallen to two places close to me over this last week. The reception could not be more different.

Maui

Here in Maui a storm front went through a week ago through a weekend. That is not unusual in and of itself, and from my experience a lot of fuss can be made of storms passing over the islands only for them to blow themselves out….though this is not to diminish storms and hurricanes that have not caused serious damage and death in Hawaii.

This storm arrived I think on Friday of last week and for three or four days we saw no blue sky. The temperature dropped noticeably. It rained and by the third day the wind had really picked up. Though that storm front has passed through and the sun and blue sky have now put in an appearance (see those rainbows), we are still getting plenty of wind and rain. And another, less severe storm front is due this weekend.

For the most part though, as far as I know the damage has been minimal. Some fallen trees, some fallen power lines, some power outages, but nothing serious. We have been blessed with rain which this island really needed.

Though the storm front has moved on, rain has lingered. I feel as though winter has finally made its presence felt in the last couple of weeks. Yesterday afternoon while the rain hammered down outside, we snuggled up in front of the television to watch a movie.

Today is trying to be better but is not making a very good job of it - wind, overcast, patchy blue sky, threatening rain. More of the same is

Portugal

Portugal has been hit by a series of storms over the last two weeks. Severe storms. My take here is from people I know on the ground in the country and news reports. I have not been there. The small town where we have a house, Alcácer do Sal has been hit terribly. People have lost homes and businesses to floods.

Alcácer sits on the Sado River. Up river of Alcácer are apparently seven dams. I don’t know how that works, but “yes” seven dams. Those dams have had to discharge water due to the volume of water that was collecting in them from the storms. With the Sado being a tidal river, at least as it passes through Alcácer, this has meant terrible flooding at the river level in the town. These news articles hint at some of the devastation,

More rain is forecast before sun returns, though I believe that the worst is over. I have heard the dams are apparently trying to time their discharge to when the tide is low to minimize the flooding.

The Prime Minister of Portugal has visited Alcácer, and the President was in the town a few days before.

Various funds have been set up to try and raise money for the businesses and families affected by the storms. This one is set up by Alentejo Alliance, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the social and economic vitality of the Alentejo region of Portugal. They have a base in Alcácer.

There has been damage elsewhere in the country in places that I do not know so well. My hope is that Portugal can recover quickly from this damage. Seeing a video of the flood damage of a friend’s home, furniture and belongings spread everywhere and a film of mud covering the floor, was heartbreaking. We have offered him use of our house while sorting out his next steps.

For me this is all a reminder for me not take for granted what I have now - family, friends, that which is dear to me - though I really wonder how much I have internalized that lesson? A dear friend in my community passed away suddenly a couple of months ago. I still catch myself in disbelief that he is no longer with us, hearing his voice, his laugh, his inspiration, his friendship.

Momento Mori, - it scares me to think of the truth of that statement, and I believe when fully embraced there is a freedom in it.

And for now I think of those trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of natural disasters (some of which have long passed through the news cycle) - the 2023 fires on Maui, the recent floods in Portugal, the fires that have torn through communities in North America…and others that have slipped my mind or that I am unaware of.

What more is to come as weather patterns change?

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