The Resilience and Response of Farm Households in the Aftermath of the 2006 Canterbury Snow Storm
Introduction
For many readers of the Auckland-based New Zealand Herald, snow may be considered a ‘beautiful’ weather event, particularly when viewed from several kilometres into the atmosphere (see Figure 1). However, the beauty of snow itself does little to lessen the severe consequences that unexpected heavy snowfalls can have on communities. While the effects of heavy snowfalls have most often been seen as an urban problem, the impact on rural communities can be equally severe. In particular, many of the difficulties of rural life (isolation, access to services, eroded social networks) are exacerbated by severe snowfalls.
Figure 1: NASA satellite image of New Zealand, June 13 2006
(Source: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17307).
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