Two months ago no one would have thought that the United States would be all but shut down. But aside from grocery stores, hardware stores, and a handful of other essential businesses, most economic activity in the country has slowed to a crawl. Add to that the fact that over 75% of the population is under some sort of stay at home order, and it seems surreal to think that this is our new normal. Will we ever get back to normal, or is this the way we’ll be living for the rest of our lives? And just how long will those lives be?
Out in the American West, a series of earthquakes have been rattling states that aren’t accustomed to such quakes. And these aren’t minor quakes either. Utah was hit by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake on March 18, which has been followed by over 700 earthquakes and aftershocks. An even larger earthquake, of 6.5 magnitude, hit Idaho last week, with dozens of aftershocks. US Geological Survey officials are warning that the two quakes could be part of a series of what will eventually be even larger quakes.
While Californians are accustomed to earthquakes due to their position on fault lines, those in the “American Redoubt” are less used to quakes. And the fact that the Yellowstone supervolcano, which formed the Yellowstone caldera, has had a history of massive supereruptions throughout history isn’t terribly comforting. In the event of another supereruption, much of the American West would be covered by magma and ash, with most of the United States being covered by at least a few inches of ash. One need only imagine what effect that would have on agriculture and industry.
Africa and Asia are currently experiencing a horde of locusts said to be of biblical proportions. Kenya was the epicenter of the outbreak in Africa, with much of East Africa now succumbing to the billions of locusts that have hatched. Pakistan is suffering a similar outbreak, with much of its agriculture expected to succumb to the hordes. In both areas, the introduction of coronavirus preventive measures has delayed deliveries of pesticides, allowing the situation to get out of hand.
So there you have it, we have earthquakes, locusts, and plague (coronavirus). Could these be the end times? While it certainly doesn’t feel like it now, remember that no one knows the day or the hour when the world will end. Just because the sun rose this morning doesn’t mean that it will rise again tomorrow. It’s worth keeping our eyes open and preparing ourselves just in case things get far worse.