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Kenyans in the US Share their Experiences afterPolar Vortex
Kenyans in the US have shared their experiences following a deep freeze dubbed polar vortex witnessed in different states this week.
Sam Kimani, a Kenyan living in Springfield, Illinois says he was trapped in his apartment for three days since Wednesday without food or even a shower.
“The taps are frozen so I can’t shower. The state of emergency is still on so I can’t order pizza or any other fresh foods,” Kimani told Daily Nation via phone.
“I should be on my third double shift by now but here I am in this cold house. Please, can somebody come and take me back to Kenya where crazy natural disasters like this one never happen?”
The deep freeze mostly hit states in Midwest and Northeast with temperatures dropping below -50 degrees in some areas.
Njeri Osaak, a Kenyan in Cincinnati Ohio says it would still be cold even if one cranked the heater up to 75 degrees centigrade.
“The water does not get hot enough. You dress up and layer up when going to bed and gradually undress as you get warmer. Open the door in the morning and you get hit by this ice cold blast,” she explains.
“The car won’t start. The sun is actually out but it might as well not be. It’s a cold sun. Hell has frozen over.”
Prof. Kefa Otiso, a lecturer at Bowling Green State University, says: “Can’t remember Bowling Green canceling classes for two days in a row. The irony has been the deceptively sunny but bitterly cold days. This one has shattered decades-old records.”
Many Kenyans in the US, especially those in areas affected by the polar vortex, say it is such harsh weather conditions that make Kenya a beautiful and blessed country.
“In Kenya, we may be poor but God has spared us from natural disasters that wealth and science can’t stop,” says Kevin Mango of Lewis, Delaware
“It’s one of the reasons why for most of us, even though we live here in body, our souls and spirits are always back home, where we were born and raised.”
