White Devil Kills Dad

While floods and droughts are attributed to global warming, how can we find out the reason of the severe weather in this winter? A blizzard in Hokkaido, a northern island in mainland Japan, took nine lives, making them contained in a large amount of snowfalls. Having been called “white devil” in the region, that snowstorm blocked the roads on which a number of cars were passing, and left them in whiteout. Among the victims, there was a father who died in a snow, and found embracing his nine-year-old daughter. With father’s sacrifice, the daughter survived.

The father was driving his car with his daughter at the point a few miles away from his home on Saturday, when the car had to stop in the snow accumulated on the road. While he was trying to evacuate, heavy snow eventually packed up the car. He then called his friend to tell that his car could not move in the blizzard, and with his daughter embarked on walking toward his relative’s house within a mile.

They failed to reach the house and were found in front of a farmer’s garage early next morning. The father was found dead covering his daughter with his body. His body heat supposedly saved her life blocking the blizzard from her. She was weeping in extreme coldness and grievance of losing her dad, when a rescue team found her. Losing her mother two years ago, she has to live without her parents.

In another city in Hokkaido, a mother and three kids died in a car totally covered by snow. Although the official analysis of the reason is not delivered, they might have died with intoxication of carbon monoxide contained in exhaust fume that filled the car room. Other three also froze to death, while walking in the snowstorm. Experts say that it is important to stay in a car in those cases. They should have cleared the snow around exhaust pipe to let the gas escape, and call someone and wait for rescue.

This kind of tragedy anyhow happens in Hokkaido every year. To avoid fatal lost in blizzard, school would be closed when heavy weather is expected. In rural places, it is important to refrain from going out of house when a storm is coming. Every family needs to reserve foods and fuels for a few days to survive extreme weather in the winter.

Hokkaido and the coastal area of the Japan Sea is one of the places in the world with heavy snowing. Sapporo city is well known as the place for the snow festival every February. But the festival should be remembered as an attempt to overcome the white devil by enjoying snow. This is the common appeal of the Hokkaidoans, including me, to the world.