Weyburn has been digging out of one of the biggest snowfalls in a number of years. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, half a world away, one woman from Weyburn has been digging out of the biggest snowfalls in Ireland’s history.

Rekina Browatzke is in Ireland as part of a NET mission. Staying in Waterford, she has been then since the late summer. Since she has been there, she has been through two of the biggest weather events in Irish history. The first was Hurricane Ophelia in October. Now, Storm Emma, which swept over the island late last week.

“We’ve had the most extreme weather here in Ireland that they’ve had in almost a century,” she said in an interview with Discover Weyburn. "I think I’ve gotten really, really good luck, or really bad luck in being here.”

The snowstorm which ravaged Ireland brought more than 40 centimetres to the nation, which normally receives little snow at all each year. In fact, the average temperature in March is usually 11°, and the precipitation is normally rain.

“Storm Emma was a beast. They called her the ‘Beast from the East’. We were housebound for about a week,” she added. “We couldn’t get to the supermarket to get food.” The time was spent playing in the snow, and trying their best to keep the water running and the lights on.

Browatzke will be returning to Weyburn in late May. She will spend much of the summer here, before returning to Ireland for her second mission in August.