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Spring saw an event that prompted ardent environmentalists to protest against world leaders who are lax and effete with respect to global warming.
A snowstorm that hit Texas back in February gained notoriety for affecting Texans from all walks of life.
And America in September commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
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The United States gets its fair share of hurricanes and snowstorms every year, but nothing like this one that hit back in February.
When snow is all over the ground in America, Americans usually get to enjoy sledding and indulging themselves in a nice, leisurely season.
The same didn't hold true for a destructive snowstorm that pounded the U.S. state of Texas, where snow is very unusual, in February. Those devastating snowstorms plagued the state’s water and electricity systems, leading to the worst blackout in decades, leaving millions of people across the state without electricity and rendering electric heaters useless.
Snow blocked roads, with highways treacherous and thousands of flights cancelled. Many were stranded in airports across the state. The Federal Aviation Administration and affected airports asked passengers to check their flights’ status before heading to the airport.
The state’s leaders were completely caught off-guard, and obviously, the entire state was ill-equipped to deal with the storm.
Without heat or electricity, innovative Texans took to creating new ways to cope with the problems brought by power failures. They burned old furniture to keep warm and save their lives, and charged their phones in their cars. These literally saved their lives under frigid temperatures.
The snowstorms also threatened the stability of water supply. The state’s reservoirs were nearly emptied, as water inside either leaked out of burst pipes and broken water mains or was used.
Snowplows were deployed across Texas and other states affected by the snowstorms to remove snow from the roads so that the roads could be reopened.
Although frigid temperatures and gelid weather continued to affect the state and that the weather was not conducive to restoration works, the governor of Texas promised to never stop restoration work in the state.
The snowstorms had more than 2,000 flights cancelled or delayed in the area.
Four days after the start of the snowstorms, on February 17, the snowstorms' end finally came.
The snowstorm, which will go down in American history as one of the costliest natural disasters, prompted not only environmentalists, but other Americans as well to think about how to prevent much stronger storms down the road, which might be even more cataclysmic, thanks to climate change.
This year, world leaders did not hem and haw when it comes to climate change, knowing the extent to which the world will be affected by it. In the COP26 summit that took place in Glasgow, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration pledged to launch a multi-pronged plan to combat climate change. The upshot of the plan: Methane emissions will be reduced by 30 percent worldwide by 2030.
At the same time, America commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that sent chills down everyone's spine.
There were altogether six moments of silence to mark the times of the 9/11 attacks.
Remembrance took place across the globe as the world continued to languish in the COVID predicament, commemorating the deaths in the attacks that were inflicted upon America. It also marked two decades of abject misery for families of those who met their demise in the egregious attacks.
President Joe Biden called on Americans to reflect on what has become of America's unity 20 years ago, when the entire nation was united against terrorism. Pundits believe his few well-chosen words serve as a litmus test of his opinion on uniting everyone in the nation to forge a united front against daunting challenges ahead.
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