Unexpected Damages

Last Monday night a storm of unforeseen proportions hit the State of North Rhine Westphalia and the morning after looked like a war had taken place outside our doors.

Standing by the window watching the rain and crazy winds sweeping through my street, no one could imagine the after-math could look like this! Thousands of felled trees which landed on streets, train tracks, cars and houses. 

 

This was just around the corner.
Needless to say, that no bus, tram or train was available. Traffic jams were horrendous…the fire brigade working to clear the major arteries of the city from the debris. No one got to work on time, many did not make it at all.

Walking or riding the bike to work posed hazards, loose and damaged branches creaked dangerously from above and tram overhead wires lay on the streets.

The sound of fire engines and chain saws a constant back ground noise in every neighborhood of the city.

Now 5 days later, some normality has returned. But a nagging realization remains…we are in part to blame. Yes, nature is something we have no control over, but it is time we implement some changes and face climate change responsibly!