Less than 2 years ago, China was paralyzed by a massive snowstorm resulting in $22 billion in economic losses , massive closures and disruption to transportation and travelers and significant loss of life and limb.

News this week shows the wake-up call to improve winter maintenance went unheeded.

On November 13, China Daily reported:

The country was blanketed by heavy snow and pummeled by severe weather yesterday during the third consecutive day of harsh weather.

The whiteout left several people dead and caused hundreds of injuries. It also froze traffic in many cities and grounded hundreds of flights.

Tens of thousands of people and vehicles were stuck along 21 expressways in seven provinces. Power supplies were lost in some parts of the country, the China Highway Information Service said on its website yesterday.

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The heavy snow was the reason for at least six deaths and caused upheaval to around 630,000 people in Hebei (Province). The direct economic loss there has reached 400 million yuan ($59 million), according to the provincial civil affairs department.

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Thousands of passengers were stranded at Beijing's two airports and its five railway stations.

Beijing Capital International Airport cancelled 59 flights and delayed hundreds of others.

Rush-hour traffic yesterday was heavily congested after several pileups and many expressways between the capital and Hebei province were closed.

Beijing's transport authority also canceled 44 bus routes from downtown to nearby destinations.

The next day, the same outlet reported worsening conditions :

The death toll rose to 21 in North China on Friday as storms continued to ravage the region.

The snowstorms left a trail of destruction that will cost more than half a billion dollars to repair, the Civil Affairs Ministry said on Friday.

Heavy snow, which has not been seen in the region for decades, left 21 people dead in seven provinces, the ministry said on its website.

The number does not include deaths came in traffic accidents that were connected to the storms that began on Nov 9, the ministry said.

China has come a long way in recent years and consumes more concrete every year than any other nation, much of it to build new, modern highways. One hopes they soon discover what developed countries well understand: operating the highways in winter weather is possible, and essential to preventing the kinds of economic disaster that unavoidable but predictable snowstorms can cause in the absence of effective winter maintenance.

Modeling losses from inadequate snowstorm response in the U.S. shows that economic losses from a single day’s snowfighting failure imposes greater costs than providing a full winter’s snowfighting service . That’s a massive “competitive advantage” for the U.S. economy.