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Original poster

If England was to be hit by a storm/hurricane like those in Florida.....

52 replies

Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:08

What would happen to us? I know in America these storms are their ‘norm’ and many have tornado shelters etc and when they know these massive storms are coming they are evacuated..... they get sent inland for example. But what would happen if we had one coming? We live on a relatively small island (compared to America) and we wouldn’t actually have anywhere really to evacuate to? What would happen if we were hit by one?

Just thinking ... as you do.

OP posts:
LostInShoebiz · 13/10/2018 09:26

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland would presumably be delighted to escape the awful weather...

Are they not included in your entirely England-centric question for any particular reason?

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:29

I’m asking because I live in England.

I’ll re-phrase my question :
What would happen if Great Britain, United Kingdom, England, Ireland (north and south) wales and Scotland were hit by a storm/hurricane like those in Florida.

OP posts:
LostInShoebiz · 13/10/2018 09:35

I had a feeling you might live in England. Funny that.

I’ll helps you phrase your question properly:

What would happen if Great Britain the United Kingdom England, Ireland (north and south) wales and Scotland were was hit by a storm/hurricane like those in Florida.

AdventuringThroughLife · 13/10/2018 09:38

Its quite normal to ask about the country you live in surely!?

I havent a clue how we'd manage though. We aren't set up for it. I presume it cant really happen here as we dont get them like the US but no idea of we could...

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:39

The weather in France has more of an impact of where I live than Scotland, Ireland and even wales as I’m much closer but I’m not asking about France because France Can move further inland although I don’t know what impact that would have on them as they would be crossing borders into other countries.

We are a small island with no where to really go if we had to evacuate, I’m purely asking what anyone thinks would happen. I’m not starting a petty debate on who is or isn’t part of England.

OP posts:
LostInShoebiz · 13/10/2018 09:40

Part of the UK surely? There’s no debate to be had as to who is or is not part of England as the only answe is England.

AgentProvocateur · 13/10/2018 09:40

“Part of England”? That would be England then. Hmm

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:41

Thank you adventuring!!!! I know we’ve never had them but they seem to be getting worse and more frequent (although I don’t know if that’s because they didn’t used to put them in world news I don’t know?) we seem to get more storms here then we used to (but again that may be because they didn’t used to be in the news?) I just wonder what would happen if one DID come our way, with climate change the way it it.

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LittleCandle · 13/10/2018 09:41

Well, since England is utterly incapable of dealing with a light dusting of snow in winter, when it is to be expected, I should think the whole place would grind to a standstill and there would be much wailing and hand wringing and gnashing of teeth.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales would carry on as they always do after being hit by strong winds and driving rain and get the electricity going again and clear up the debris. Hurricane Bawbag, anyone?

Livedandlearned2 · 13/10/2018 09:41

Lots of people would die, we'd be mostly defenceless.

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:42

Yes a typo. Please forgive me Hmm

OP posts:
LostInShoebiz · 13/10/2018 09:43

And the other home nations would roll their eyes and get on with day to day life as per every period of bad weather that causes anywhere south of Manchester to grind to a total halt.

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:43

I don’t mean normal storms and strong winds, I’m talking how severe the have them in America where they ARE equipped for them and they CAN evacuate and people sadly do still die.

OP posts:
Pooleschoolschoice · 13/10/2018 09:44

If thats the case it makes even more sense to ask if England specifically would cope in a storm like America! As we dont usually get them. What weird responses to a question.

LostInShoebiz · 13/10/2018 09:45

Why do you think we have no where to evacuate people to? Half the population of Florida doesn’t decamp to a nuclear bunker. High ground, large municipal buildings inland, bathrooms in houses: we have all of these things.

carrie74 · 13/10/2018 09:48

We did have a hurricane-like storm in 1987. 22 people were killed in England and France. We lost a lot of trees.

Florida is very different as it's so flat - it is sea level pretty much throughout the state, so there's little shelter. Hurricane evacuation is built into the psyche there - there are well signposted evacuation routes, and people know how to protect their houses. There are also building regulations so buildings need to be built to withstand the weather.

The UK has higher ground, so we wouldn't be completely engulfed by water. Because we're not in the tropics, we don't generally suffer from tropical weather (remember, Florida is in the sun-tropics - lots of places have similar weather with the same geography). Because of that, we don't need the same level of planning that Florida, the Caribbean, SE Asia etc etc have. But hurricanes are quite slow moving beasts, giving us time to prepare if we had to.

BehemothPullsThePeasantsPlough · 13/10/2018 09:49

It is important to specify England because generally speaking Scottish buildings are more robust because they’re built to withstand significantly worse storms than the English, and will have. The trees are also more storm resistant than the English ones.

Florida is particularly vulnerable to storm surge and hurricanes because it's so flat: basically a swamp at zero metres elevation. Most places in the U.K. are much less vulnerable to that aspect.

The Florida residential buildings are very different - less intrinsically robust than brick but also built to very specific legally imposed hurricane-resistant building standards.

And they’re geared up for it. If a Floridian hears a warning then they know where to go to get the plywood and sandbags and can storm-proof their windows at a moment’s notice while most Brits would be googling the address of B&Q and wondering whether the drill is charged - not to mention the buy to let landlords who definitely wouldn’t have a plan in force.

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:53

Finally some sensible responses to a simple post that was not meant to cause so many bees in bonnets.

carrie I remember that hurricane. I was talking about it to my children yesterday. Everything shut but you just stayed in your houses.

I’m purely wondering what would happen as you can’t evacuate much further inland when you live on a relatively small island. Very true about the tropics. I guess just hope it never happens!

OP posts:
Ifailed · 13/10/2018 09:53

I was in London in 1987 when we had winds up to 120 mph & at least 22 people were killed in England and France. Travel was affected the next day, but after that things rapidly returned to normal, although 15 million trees were bought down. Some people were without power for weeks, a cross channel ferries was driven ashore, a large ship sank. Total cost for insurance companies was £2 billion.

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 13/10/2018 09:54

When the devastating storm hit Aberystwyth in 2014, many town-centre and seafront residents were evacuated to the local high school which is higher up and more inland. Plans exist in our coastal area of Wales; I assume they do in other parts of the UK as well.

Maybe contact your local council to ask about emergency plans if you are genuinely concerned..?

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:54

behemoth the b&q remark made me laugh, so true.

OP posts:
Jaxtellerswife · 13/10/2018 09:56

Good grief, can't mention the name of your own country without causing offence 🤦🏻‍♀️
Anyway, I presume our homes would last better but apart from that everything would come to a standstill.

Original poster
Ilmb · 13/10/2018 09:57

Thank you lady I might do that. I don’t have a lot of family and as a LP I worry about keeping my children safe particularly when one is disabled and worries about these things. I’m trying to find some answers to their worries too.

I can’t remember If I was last year or the year before but I remember when we had a tidal surge and along the south east coast, I think it was canvey island but I may be wrong we’re evacuated by the army but at of them didn’t leave. Tidal surges happen quite a lot and do affect where we live but these aren’t as severe as hurricanes etc..

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TheDowagerCuntess · 13/10/2018 09:59

Gosh, people are being beyond dull with their pedancy.

There are regularly tropical storms in the Pacific Islands.

The answer is -people have nowhere to evacuate to, the buildings are vulnerable, which means the people are to. The countries are devastated, and it is costly to recover.

MrsMoastyToasty · 13/10/2018 10:00

I was working for a water company in 2000 when we had flooding across a large part of our region. In the UK the problem isn't so much to do with the sewers taking the foul waste, but the surface water drainage which suddenly has to cope with an increased amount of rain