Cold Chinese Grow Angry Over Lack of Preparation

[ben_meyers]

SHANGHAI — For two weeks running, much of this country, long known for its capacity for mass mobilization, has been tied in knots by a series of major snowstorms.
Families in Chenzhou, part of Hunan Province, have been without electricity, water and heating for as long as 10 days.
Although the snowfall has been described as the worst here in 50 years, it has been nothing like the deep cover that blankets parts of New England or the upper Midwest in many winters.
But its crippling effect seems to have been mostly because of surprise. The storm knocked out electricity and water supplies, threatened the coal supply that fuels the country’s power plants and stranded millions of Chinese on the eve of the year’s most important holiday.
Many of the worst effects have been in parts of east-central and southern China, which are largely unaccustomed to serious snowfall.
Many victims, however — as many as 100 million people were directly affected — equate surprise on such a huge scale with lack of preparation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/world/asia/04snow.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

Lack of preparation? Heck of a job Blownie!

[phantom power]

1. First they riot. Then they die.

[Teaser]

2. "blownie?"

that sounds really bad, man.

[kestrel91316]

3. It's naughty. "Blownie", indeed. LOL

[Deja Q]

4. Electricity is one thing, but

can't they start fires by rubbing a couple sticks together; getting a bucket of (preferably not yellow) snow and melting it? It's technically drinkable...?

[Doctor Cynic]

5. A bit hard to do so when you're camping at a train station. n/t

Now imagine if the US had 4X its current population, that a snowstorm brings Midwest-like winters to the Deep South while everyone's going home for Christmas holidays. That's exactly what happened in China.