Rare snowstorm hits Shenyang in Liaoning

Rare Snowstorm Hits NE China

Lots of vehicles are trapped on road in Shenyang on Sunday, March 4, 2007 as the heaviest snowstorm on record since 1951 hit northeast China's Liaoning Province over the weekend.

One person was killed and seven injured in Shenyang on Sunday when heavy snow caused the roof of a market in the Huanggu District to collapse after a rare snowstorm hit the city.
Beijing Morning Post reports the heaviest snowstorm on record since 1951 hit Liaoning province in northeast China over the weekend, grinding traffic and everyday activities to a halt.

The local meteorological department reports the snow started falling on Saturday night and predicts it will last until Monday. The unusual weather has been attributed to the combined impact of a cold front moving in from the Baikal Lake area, plus a cyclone entering the province from the Yangtze-Huaihe Area.

The provincial meteorological department has launched a second-level emergency plan to stop the fierce weather from inflicting any more damage.

The provincial transport authority says nine out of the eleven highways in the province have been closed. Most of the roads linking the provincial capital of Shenyang with Dandong and Dalian are also out of service with only a handful of sections still open.

Nearly all inter-city bus services have also been suspended. A large number of passengers are sheltering in the Shenyang Taoxian International Airport after the snow forced the airport to close and cancel all flights.

The snowstorm has also delayed local rail services.

Well do I need to say anything more!!!!

James did NOT meet our Presley last night as we were hoping...he woke up and headed to the Beijing airport at 9am only to find out that the airport in Shenyang was closed and they didn't know when it would be re-opened. He called and he was devastated. He is so tired and just so upset that after all this time he is still not with her.

Presley and the orphanage staff were stuck on the train on their way to Shenyang. I don't know if they were able to get off the train and hopefully now are in a hotel waiting for James arrival.

We made the decision since they didn't know when the airport would re-open to try and take the train. So this morning at 10am our time..James boarded the train from Beijing to Shenyang which is a 9 hour train ride. I feel so bad for him. He has been in and out of airports..sleeping only minimal hours in different hotels each night...and now has spent the evening hours in a train. Talk about a rough start to this journey.

By now 7:08pm as I write this James hopefully has hit his destination of Shenyang and hopefully is on his way to the hotel. He was scheduled to sign today at civil affairs and the notary..hopefully this can still happen. I am worried now that there won't be enough time to get the passport done on time. He is supposed to leave on Saturday for Beijing. I am waiting by the phone for news from him and really hoping that tonight is the night. It just seems like there has been so many obstacles in the way...the storm followed him from Montreal to Shenyang.

As soon as I get an update I will keep you all posted...it has been a rough few days for me as well..many sleepless nights and tonight I am really starting to feel the lack of sleep and I am not even in China. James is doing great considering the journey but like he says...he will do anything to get to his daughter.

Let's hope they are meeting very shortly...

Waiting impatiently at home...

Karen