- ELY ERVIN ESCANTILLA
The writer spent almost 10 years in Negros Occidental as Nursing student at Central Philippine Adventist College and later as staff nurse at Bacolod Adventist Medical Center. He and his wife, the former Tara Bernadas, a native of Bacolod City, moved to Wales 5 years ago and later transferred to Texas, first in San Angelo and now in Houston, where they both have nursing jobs.
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The road was a blanket of snow and ice when I drove home from my Emergency Room duty in the hospital that Feb. 15 morning.
Shortly after looking at the stunning winter view ahead I was quickly brought back to my senses – I must drive carefully – from the usual 40-45 miles per hour to only 25 mph. Home is 30 minutes away.
I’m in Houston, the most populous city in the state of Texas, which generally has mild winters and long, hot summers.
But for two days last week the winter storm hit Houston and other areas in the states, the icy road causing dozens and dozens of car accidents.
Houston is obviously not ready for this sudden dip in temperature (almost freezing point). Many people are not uses to drive on icy and slippery roads. It was the harshest winter storm in the city and state in decades.
I suddenly remembered my three years of stay in Wales. There, streets and highways are cleared of snow in the morning, unlike that day in Texas last week when the road was covered by snow. Welsh people know what to do when wintry days come.
In Houston last week, the storm surprised the residents and they were unprepared. Power and water supply was off and so was the internet connection.
Because of power disruption, the heaters were off. People flocked to groceries to get water, batteries and food, apparently, out of fear that the utility supply would not return to the usual soon.
It was so cold at home that my wife, children Martina, 9, and Elijah, who is 10 months old, and I had to wear winter clothes and, as if they were not enough, we had to bundle ourselves in loads of blankets to keep ourselves warm.
Thank God, after several days, temperature is back to the 30s (Celsius) and people have been gradually getting back to their usual grind of things. – NWI
