Store It Foods

In April of 1815 an Indonesian volcano experienced a series of eruptions.  These, however, were no ordinary eruptions.  Mount Tambora is known now as the volcano that produced the “year without summer” because of the effect on North American and European weather.

Significant amounts of ash were thrown into the air, and finer ash particles remained in the stratosphere for several years.  As might be expected, world climate was affected, with the most significant effects being felt in 1816. 

In New England and southern Canada frosts killed crops. Snow falls were recorded throughout the months of June, July and August.  European nations also suffered.  Here is how Wikipedia describes it.

“This pattern of climate anomaly has been blamed for the severity of typhus epidemic in southeast Europe and the eastern Mediterranean between 1816 and 1819. Much livestock died in New England during the winter of 1816–1817. Cool temperatures and heavy rains resulted in failed harvests in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Families in Wales traveled long distances as refugees, begging for food. Famine was prevalent in north and southwest Ireland, following the failure of wheat, oat and potato harvests. The crisis was severe in Germany, where food prices rose sharply. Due to the unknown cause of the problems, demonstrations in front of grain markets and bakeries, followed by riots, arson and looting, took place in many European cities. It was the worst famine of the 19th century.”

And all of this was due to one volcano!

Could something similar happen again?  The likelihood of an eruption of that magnitude is unlikely, but it was also unlikely in 1815. Yet, it happened.

The lesson is that there is not much that we can do to prevent such happenings, or even to forsee them.  We are reminded, however,  that a long term food storage program is worth considering for a multitude of reasons — including unexpected, world wide, volcano induced, crop failures.