When it comes to severe weather, related tragedies and other catastrophes, living in Marysville is a blessing.
Other parts of the country don’t fare so well.
Currently, Texas, Louisiana and Florida are reeling from two of the worst hurricanes, Harvey and Irma, to ever hit the U.S. Losses will be in the billions of dollars, and it will take months, if not years, to bring conditions back to normal. As a result, the lives of many residents will be altered permanently.
Hurricanes are unfortunately something the Gulf Coast states and eastern seaboard face all too often. But it is not the only area in harms way.
It seems that every year, the western part of the nation is forced to fight raging forest fires that burn everything in their paths. Each time, thousands of acres are scorched and dozens of homes are destroyed. Right now, because of hot, dry conditions, wildfires are plaguing California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho.
Earthquakes are also a problem in California and elsewhere, and central states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and others are frequently struck with devastating tornadoes.
Thankfully, these types of disasters do not occur in Marysville and Union County. Yes, there is an occasional heavy winter snow or ice storm, or torrential downpour with some flooding, but the damage or inconvenience from them pale in comparison to that caused by the calamities mentioned above. In my lifetime, the worst events that I can recall here are the blizzard of 1978 and the flood of 1959. I also remember an ice storm when I was in junior high school and we lived on West Seventh Street. It was a brick street then, and the ice was so thick that we ice-skated up and down the length of it to Court Street and back. The ice was as smooth as if it was a skating rink.
But for the most part, this area has been spared the ravages that Mother Nature can sometimes bring about.