By Edwin M. Fayia, III, edwinfayia@yahoo.com
For many climate watchers, climate change is becoming more evident in recent times, as one can no longer distinguish the dry season from the rainy season, as the kind of weather that used to be experienced at the height of the rainy season is being is in recent years being experienced in November, December and even January.
Climate is define as “both the global warming driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases, and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns.”
Historically in Liberia, rainy season with the torrential showers and lighting and thunder should run from mid-April to mid-October.
Liberians and foreign residents alike were surprised to see brief periods of torrential rains coupled with heavy wind and lightning and thunder during the period of the just-end December 8 Special Senatorial and two By-elections.
There were even reports of the people being left homeless by heavy rainstorm in some parts of Liberia in recent weeks.
Several calls placed to media representatives in Liberian urban and rural counties, it was gathered that there were sporadic downfall of rains that stalled the casting of ballots at some of the polling stations, where Liberians assembled in their hundreds of thousands in the hotly contested senatorial, representatives and referendum elections.
Several reports gathered from several polling stations in Monrovia densely populated and Liberia largest commercial district of Paynesville showed that the sporadic downfall of rais did cause some serious hurdles for the well determined Liberian voters in several parts of the country.
Consequently, few weather analysts who spoke to www.newspublictrust.com in recent days pointed out that climate change has proven to be realistic and genuine even in the small West African state of Liberia situated at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean.
Extensive reactions from anxious Liberian voters were sought due to the sudden downpour of rains, despite of the initial blazing sun shine in the early hours of the morning on Monday December 8, 2020 in Montserrado County and other densely populated rural and urban counties of Liberia vie mobile phone contacts.
Messrs Harrison B. Mason, 45 and George H. Beyan, 55 of Kpelleh and Bassa Towns in Paynesville noted that, they were really shock and outrage due to the heavy downfall of rains on such crucial electoral process in Liberia.
Mrs. Kebbeh Wolubah, 48 and Mrs. Martha M. Watson, 44 said generally in Liberia, rainfall normally is the practical medicine intended to send away defiant and resilient crowd of Liberians at any event or occasion in any part of the country.
Mrs. Wolubah also wondered and asked why such rains on such critical day in the political deciding points for Liberians adding, such is a process that should be beginning of the vital determination electoral process of the 2023 general and presidential elections in Liberia.
In response, another elderly woman at one of the polling stations reminded the outrage women that the white people have informed all Liberians that the weather patterns have changed and Liberians should brace up to embrace climate change adaptation of doing many of their critical social, political and economic activities based on the advice of the white people at all times.
Liberian voters at the some of the densely populated communities, who were mostly young people, were seen in angry mood due to the downfall of rains and running at terrific speed to seek refuge at the nearby residential compounds.
However, some of the young people who spoke to WWW.newspublictrust.com intimated that they were at the various polling stations to exercise their democratic rights to participate in a free, fair and transparent election aimed at choosing their leaders and ensuring the stability of the country.
With the exception of the Neezoe Community polling station in Monrovia’s Paynesville suburb, several polling stations. No violent incidents were reported by poll watchers, observers and heads of other civil society groups in what is normally described by security agencies as the violent prone commercial district of Paynesville in Montserrado County.
But one things was clear, no one really expected to experience the kind of downpour, lighting and thunder seen and heard on before and after the December 8 2020 polls. This has left many thinking about the reality of climate change.