> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Seems like only yesterday I was sitting in the fellowship hall of our church and outside it sounded like a train going by. A few of us  peered outside to see what was causing all of the racket and noticed the trees swaying as gusts of wind plowed through our community. I remember driving home from church that day witnessing the evidence of large trees snapping like twigs at the sheer force of the wind. I remember listening to the transformers blowing throughout town and thinking it sounded a lot like gunfire.

Over the next couple of hours that wind, that turned out to be the remnants of Hurricane Ike, caused destruction that this city hadn’t seen. Downed trees and power outages were the norm for our town as thousands worked around the clock in order to help get the lights back on and put the community back together again. I couldn’t remember ever being without power for more than a few hours before that day and mine was off for nearly six days.

A few months later we were again at the mercy of the weather when a snow and ice storm blanketed our community. Trees that had survived the fall winds were now bowing from the weight of the ice that had fallen over night. Once again many of our friends and neighbors were without power for several days. I was able to take refuge at my brother’s house which remained nice and cozy having not lost power that time.

Over the spring of that same year the Ohio Valley experienced one of the wettest few months on record. I recall at least three major rainfalls that year that left several areas flooded and local governments searching for answers on how to move the water more efficiently. That was the summer that the Kentucky Derby Museum was flooded from the rainfall and was forced to close for several months.

Over a period of several months in 2008 and into 2009 there were several incidents of crazy weather that hit our community and left a line of destruction that we hadn’t seen before. From what I can recall 2010 and 2011 were without major issues when it comes to the weather. I’m sure there were times in the summer when you thought it was too hot and times in the winter when you thought it was too cold, but typically summer is pretty hot and winter is fairly cold. Sometimes the temperatures hit their extremes but for the most part they’re not too far from the averages.

Then we come to this year. We had one of the mildest winters on record for this part of the country. We never had an actual snow storm just a few light dustings. The temperatures never did seem to get below freezing very often and most days it seemed like spring, even in the dead of winter.

We had several small tornadoes touch down in the metropolitan area on Jan. 17 of this year. While not a lot of damage was caused the National Weather Service called it the most prolific January tornado outbreak ever recorded.

Then came one of the worst storms to hit our area in a very long time. On March 2, tornadoes ripped through Clark County leaving behind a line of destruction. It will be years before many of the lives of the citizens of Henryville and Marysville are put back together, but our community has come together to prove that we are much more than just a few buildings.

Several years ago some scientists began discussing the issue of the rise in temperatures across the planet. “Global warming” was believed to be caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases caused by human activities like deforestation and the burning of fossils fuels. “Climate change” is how it is now characterized. Some people attribute the changing weather patterns across the country to this pattern of “climate change.”

For many years some have been in denial over the existence of some kind of manmade cause to climate change. Rush Limbaugh, the unofficial PR firm of the Republican Party, calls anyone that suggests that humans have caused this problem an environmental wacko. While most scientists agree that humans have contributed to problems, the right wing of American politics just wants to deny there is a problem. It is much easier to call people names.

Over the last few weeks the nation has experienced a drought and heat wave never before seen. As far back as I can remember I think there have only been a handful of days where it has actually reached more than 100 degrees. It seems that lately we have had more days over the century mark than anytime in my lifetime, including the hottest Fourth of July in more than 100 years. While the National Weather Service doesn’t use it for the official record, the thermostat in my Ford Taurus recorded temperatures ranging from 103 to 109 while I was traveling around town over the last few weeks.

I don’t suggest that I have all the answers. A lot of people smarter than me believe that we have been the cause of the problem. I believe that we have probably contributed to the problem, but it’s not too late to fix it. We can continue along the path we are on or we can get to work on trying to solve the problem and possibly make it a little more comfortable place to live.



Matthew Nash wonders if it’s hot in here or is it just him?  He can be reached at dmatthewnash@gmail.com.