We might be complaining about yet another slow, cool spring in the South Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, but all one has to do is turn on the television to realize that we don’t really have a lot to complain about - at least relatively speaking.
We’ve gone from the earthquake in northern Japan earlier this year to tornadoes in the American midwest, to flooding in the American and Canadian midwest, to the most recent weather related disaster - this week’s series of Alberta wildfires.
When we consider these incidents, a little cooler weather doesn’t seem like such a hardship after all.
Locally, there is growing concern that this year’s weather will result in flood conditions in our area. The Similkameen River has risen dramatically in the last week and a half - and earlier this week, it was still snowing in the local mountains.Authorities in the Okanagan are releasing as much water through the valley as they can in an attempt to make room for the still to come snowmelt.
Local authorities are attempting to be proactive about the possibility, and some degree of disaster can be mitigated by having the luxury of time to plan. Even so, local flooding is only a possiblility - so far.
What there seems to be no doubt of, however, is that we will all be feeling the effects of these disasters in the coming months and years - especially if we own insurable property.