All my life, I lived in an area with quite a mild climate.
Yes, we got snow and summer heat, but it was never extreme.
Only a few times did we have a blizzard or a summer storm. My dad rarely had an issue with the air conditioning in our home. It was always in moderation whether we were heating or cooling the space. All that was about to change once I moved to the coast from home. My aunt had started a company in the area and required my services. The course I did in college would come in handy, and she was offering a wonderful package. I moved into her home, where I’d stay until I was financially able to get my place. By the time I was moving, it was summer, and the place was so hot that I had to stay indoors with air conditioning most of the time. My aunt advised me to do so until my body could adapt to the different climate. That was when I witnessed my first severe storm like never before. The announcement was made through radio and television for everyone to get ready for an intense summer storm. My aunt asked me to go shopping since no one knew how long the storm would last. I was used to it lasting a couple of hours, but that was not the case in that area. My aunt told me she had to make sure she was prepared and even had a ‘front-line service agreement’ with an AC company. It meant if the air conditioning went out due to the storm, she would be bumped to the top of the list when repairs were ongoing.