Over this past weekend, post tropical storm Lee slowly moved over the Maritime provinces in eastern Canada. Prince Edward Island wasn’t greatly affected by this storm. Other parts of the Maritimes were more seriously affected with trees down and power outages for thousands. In our area, during the storm on Saturday afternoon, the sun broke through on occasion. We did have high winds gusting to 70 kph and torrential rain occasionally but the power stayed on in our area.
As we waited out the storm, I was thinking about a woman we met in Morocco ten years ago when we did a tour there. She was a Berber woman, of the indigenous people of North Africa. Her name was Lala and she invited tours groups into her home for a tea ceremony.
Lala ready for the tea ceremony
Lala’s home was in the Ourika Valley at the base of the Atlas Mountains, near the center of the recent earthquake. I have been thinking of the Berber people since the earthquake, having seen photos of the area.
The home was made of mud and straw and was hundreds of years old.
Kitchen in Lala’s home
Chances are it wouldn’t survive a strong earthquake. I hope Lala and her family did. Her children were married and lived in the area too and her husband was a farmer. By hosting the tea parties, Lala worked to support the family as well. They were hardworking people with rich traditions and culture.
In addition, the tragedy in Libya, where a dam broke and killed thousands of innocent people, has been on my mind too. I saw an interview with a man from the area who was crying because the authorities had been warned about the instability of the dam. It was a needless tragedy.
Meanwhile, here in eastern Canada, we clean up from the weather event. While some of us will struggle, we have it easier than the Moroccans and Libyans. We have more resources of all kinds available to us compared to much of the world.
We can’t do much to help but we will support the Red Cross/Red Crescent in their efforts in Morocco and Libya for the Lalas and their families.
33 comments:
I'm glad the Maritimes and PEI weren't hit TOO hard this time. Yes, extreme weather/earth disasters will only be worsening in coming years. The chickens are coming home to roost.
You were certainly on my mind as I watched the hurricane approach land. And I'm so glad you were not seriously affected by it. I give to Doctors Without Borders and have been saddened by Morocco and Libya, too.
Glad you weren't too hard hit again. I was wondering about that. Your connections to Morocco and Libya would give you reason to be very concerned about those families and places.
So many extreme disasters around the world in recent times... fire, flood, earthquake, high temperatures, I feel so helpless to do anything about it. The small amount I can afford to donate to the relief efforts won't make much difference I fear.
I am so glad that the storm wasn't as devastating as others in the past. We left the Island on Friday, getting ahead of the storm.
So many people in the world are less well equipped to handle disasters. Helping where we can is so important.
i would expect nothing less than to come here and read that you are thinking of others. i am so happy you faired well through the storm, i watched the storm on our tv as it neared you!!
poignant pictures of lala and her home. how interesting it would be to have tea with her!!
I was wondering how you'd made out in the storm. Glad it wasn't as bad as Fiona.
The situations in Morocco and Libya are heartbreaking. Sadly, Libya is refusing assistance from many countries. I don't undertand why but I suppose it has something to do with the politics and alliances of their country.
Nice to know that you weren't hit hard by Lee. The world is experiencing some life altering events that are hurting many people and some will have a tough time surviving. I hope the help they receive from the relief efforts will help them slowly recover.
I am glad your island was spared the worst of tbe storm. You are right, in that Canada and most of western civilization have resources for disasters. My heart breaks for the peoplebof Libya and Morocco.
I am glad you were not seriously affected by the bad weather.
I am following by tv what happens in many parts of the world: it's very sad.
Just yesterday we had a earthquake in Italy too.
I agree, we must help the people who suffer for this situation.
Heartfelt sorrows for those affected by disasters around the world. Prayers for Lala and her family even though you may never know how they are doing.
I am thankful for all of our resources too.
Thanks for sharing such a poignant post today.
Sue
Thank you for this update. I was worrying for you. And my heart goes out to so many. Like DJan, I give to Medecins Sans Frontieres, and wish I could do more.
Hopefully Lala's home was solid as a rock and made it through the earthquake. I am guessing most of us in North America don't know how good we have it when it comes to resources and assistance during a natural disaster.
Thanks for your report on the storm.
I am so glad you were spared. And thank you for the reminder to keep others in mind. Have a cozy evening!
You make a great point. we may suffer but we also have much better infrastructure to deal with disasters. I'm happy that you are safe.
Glad to hear that you weren't too badly affected by the storm. I visited the Atlas Mountains many years ago; the village I stayed in hasn't even been mentioned in the reports I've heard, though places further down the valley are devastated and I would guess that the road has disappeared. A few flash floods here lately but nothing on that kind of scale.
Hello :=) I'm now able to write with my right hand for longer periods so I have started visiting again to everyone who wrote caring comments on my last two posts.
I didn't know about the predicted storm/ hurricane, but so glad you were not harmed in any way. The plight of those at war,and hit by tragedy in other ways is heart breaking. I hope that Lala and her family and their homes are safe.
Her story is one which is thought provoking, but also fascinating.Your photos of her tea ceremony, in her humble dwelling will probably stay with me now for ever. I truly hope she survived. I do count my blessings every day especially now that I am older, and on my worst day have never lost my home or gone without food or water. We are fortunate indeed.
All the best
Sonjia
Thanks for letting us know the good news. Great to hear all is well with you and yours.
Glad you didn't suffer too much. The strength of some people is just amazing. My life is so easy here I wonder if I would be able to cope wit a major disaster.
You might enjoy *An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan* by Jason Elliot.
I was thinking of you, during this Hurricane Lee. Finally found how to check in with you.
So happy it wasn't too bad for you.
Still not blogging because my life is taken up by care for my 90 year old husband who is practically blind and has Dementia.
Count your Blessings...
Love...
When we sit in our snug, safe homes it can be very easy to forget about the rest of the world. We should be reminded of our luck more often - and we should act to help others as a result I think!
Cheers - SM
Prayers for Lala, her family and all those in the earthquake zone
I am so grateful that PEI was spared the heartbreak of last year. I am also very grateful for where I live and for a government that can frustrate, but would accept assistance if its citizens were suffering. My mind cannot conceive the number of lost lives in these disasters and the ongoing hardships for those left.
Marie I am grateful you had no serious damage from Lee. These hurricanes can provoke much pain and sorrow. It hurts to think of the people in other parts of the world who have poor resources to help them heal. I have had some personal health issues on my plate lately so I did not follow the news or even know about the earthquake. Your photos of Lala are touching and bring home to me that so many people I will never meet suffer such hardships and but for the grace of God so would I. I am thankful for being born in this country and the time I was born. I lived a carefree childhood for the most part with a big loving family, good parents, and lots of love. Thanks for this touching reminder of the suffering in the world. I do what I can to help but at this stage of my life, I don't have much to give.
You were on my mind at the time.
So many natural disasters happening all over the world... floods, earthquakes, hurricanes...
I have memories of Morocco associated with disaster too. Many, many years ago I was in Agadir where a few years earlier a devastating earthquake had inflicted great damage and the town had nowhere near recovered. The Earth can vent its fury from time to time and there is nothing we can do about it.
In such cases, the Red Cross is the best organization to give to.
Hello,
I am glad Lee did not do much damage to your area. It is good to keep your power on. The natural disasters seem to be coming more often around the world. Prayers for Lala and her family and all those suffering from these recent disasters. Take care, have a great weekend.
So glad you missed the worst. We had an unrelated microburst here that lost us power for about half a day while the crews madly chainsawed. It missed all the dwellings, praise be.
I, too, shudder at weather and earth shaking events where there is very little infrastructure to help. Especially if you have been to a place, it always remains top of mind when a disaster strikes. For me it is southern Africa. I taught English in Zimbabwe in the '90s and watch the political meltdown there with much sadness. The people I knew were wonderful, hard working and fun. The politicians were evil, venal and controlling. So sad.
I'm glad your storm damage wasn't too bad. It's so sad to see all of the people suffering from the effects of weather-related events and earthquakes. Your post is a good reminder to do what we can to help them.
thank god Lee passed by smoothly
i agree that your country is far luckier than Morocco and Libya ,i did not know about Libya this is really heart breaking
i hope Lala and family survived
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