Anyone else feeling really nervous about Storm Darragh?

[GinaDreamsofRunningAway]

We are under a red warning here now and I am feeling sick to my stomach. DH and I have done all we can to prepare. Sandbags by the front door, torches with batteries, everything on charge, moved and weighed down everything outside, got logs in to keep the wood burner going all weekend, we have plenty of food.

But I am feeling so unwell and anxious about our home being flooded or having our property damaged. I have been unable to eat today and can't function.

I know this isn't normal but I have had 'weather anxiety' for my whole adult life and I know its silly and I feel stupid for feeling so nervous about something that is out of my control.

Is anyone else feeling the same? How are others in the same situation coping with this? Any tips?

I forgot about it, but then dh has stage 4 cancer so I don't care about anything.

Sorry to hear that. Xxx

I have weather anxiety too OP, and am in the red zone, on the coast. Pretty nervous about this one. I don't remember having a red warning for wind before. My eldest DS has a loft bedroom and I have to try to contain my anxiety and not tell him to sleep downstairs in case the roof comes off- I am trying really hard not to pass on my anxieties to DC.

I think it makes sense to prepare but I don't think it's normal to be so worried that you can't eat or sleep.

I hope everyone is safe and that damage is limited but there's no point worrying about something you have no control over.

I’m bloody nervous about it as I’m a nervous flyer and flying home from Europe later tonight into it.

nah not really

I'm in the red zone in rural Somerset, no risk of flooding as I live on a hill but the wind can get very fierce up here and I have a big tree in my garden.
I've just had really tough fencing put up so hopefully that will stay standing. We'll just have to wait and see,

I'm so genuinely sorry to hear that. I guess everything else is minimal in comparison to that.

Quite honestly I think it makes sense for him not to sleep in the loft due to the red warning. I'm not a worrier but I'm sleeping downstairs tonight.

I absolutely agree. I don't think it is normal which is why I asked how everyone else was feeling. I have mad weather anxiety. I have always had it but my Mum had it, and her Mum before her. So I think it has obviously been a learned response from my childhood. I know its daft to worry so much about something I have no control over and I feel really bloody stupid. Anxiety sucks!

God its awful isn't it. I feel so nervous. My anxiety comes from my Mum as she had it, and her mum before her had it. I have tried so hard not to pass it on to my girls (who are adults now and no longer live at home) but I do know that because of me they take weather warnings seriously and are always prepared for weather events. That is because they see me preparing well for all eventualities so that has definitely rubbed off on them although neither of them has anxiety. I am glad I have not passed it on to them. But my mind does wander towards 'worse case scenarios' and I find myself being overcautious where most people wouldn't bother. Thank god my DH has a level head and helps to keep me grounded.

We had an actual tornado rip through the town last year, with lots of damage to our house.

Whenever the wind gets up I now feel sick to my stomach. YANBU.

Keep pets in, good luck.

Oh god! Damage to the roof? What did you do, did you have to move out? I have even been googling airbnb's and Hotels that accept dogs just to prepare in case anything happens to our house and we get damage and can't live there. It has helped me to make plans because my weather anxiety makes me feel so sick so it helps me to think I am doing something.

If it helps any, I don't have any sort of anxiety surrounding this, but being in a red warning zone, I too would be worrying. It's not very often that they issue red warnings, so it's normal to be worried.

You sound super prepared, and having a calm DH on hand will also be reassuring.

Of course none of us can promise nothing will happen, but your house is (presumably) insured and is it only "stuff".

As long as you are prepared, and can consider where you would go to be safe (either within your own property or elsewhere), then you should be fine.

We're not in a red warning zone, but I'm certainly not planning on going anywhere tomorrow.

Driving home last night in heavy rains and wind was not fun, so I'll be putting up the Christmas tree and ignoring what's going on outside as much as possible!

I am prone to anxiety and while not weather related, I think the same sort of advice applies. I find myself needing to find out all I can when I’m anxious and be prepared. But actually you are fuelling your anxiety.
You have prepared now distract. Gentle distraction. Put your phone down. No more googling

Thank you. DH just said the same thing to me. He said we have done all we can, I have done all I can, now we just have to try and carry on doing the things we would normally be doing and try and ignore it all. I think you are right. There is being prepared and there is 'fixating on it'. I definitely need to stop watching weather updates and keep off Facebook and stop fueling it my anxiety.

We got the roof done the day after. We know a roofer. My DH did some reglazing of outbuildings as windows had been torn straightout. All the smashed garden furniture went in a skip. Next door but one's roof was carried back to them by all the guys on the drive. Yet another skip. It was chaotic but about 100 houses were affected and the whole town just pitched in to help each other. It was a freak event because of the direction of the storm went straight through the valley. I doubt it will happen to you. Put you garden furniture away though if you can x

God that sounds awful. We have friends here that are builders/roofers so if the worst happens I would hope we could call on them and they would help us. We have amazing neighbours here and I do think if we had anything happen they would all want to help us. As we would them.

We also live in an area where there are lots of holiday homes, many standing empty this coming week, so we would hope we would have somewhere to move into temporarily if for any reason we couldn't be at home, plus plenty of local hotels that accept dogs. So we would have options and I know we would deal with it and that it could be worse.

Keeping everything crossed that we get through it relatively unscathed.

Stay safe everyone x

Hi @GinaDreamsofRunningAway
I'm also very worried! But then I live in South Wales and my village in particular was very badly hit two weeks ago. I was incredibly lucky to not be personally affected, but many in our street were, despite giving the council plenty of warning. The council didn't turn up to clear storm drains until after they'd flooded and what felt like half the village was under water. Both routes in/out of the village were completely blocked off, and I'm genuinely surprised that there was no loss of life. Flash flooding meant people's cars were under water with just a foot or so below the roof being visible. People managed to escape their vehicles by smashing their windows, thank god.
More flooding like that could have devastating effects as any flooding defences are now weaker as a result. It's terrifying, and - I'm afraid - going to become "the new norm".
Stay safe, everyone! Check on your loved ones and neighbours. X

I'm not that worried because I lived in the tropics for several years and we had cyclones most years including one super cyclone Gervaise in the 1970s. We got through just fine with camping gas stoves and candles. Water had to be stored as well. Just prepare for a blackout sensibly.

Havent given it a thought. Currently on the train for a night out with friends .
Your anxiety seems disproportionate

With a red weather alert? Not really.

Since the government did the test emergency alert to everyone’s mobile phones I’ve never had one since - until just now. It says my area in Wales is under the red alert and to gather torches, batteries etc. It’s making me feel a bit more alarmed about it now!

Mr too I just got one.
I almost threw my phone out of the window. I thought WW3 had started.
I was in the south east big storm in the 80s and had Michsel Fish got the weather right that would have been a red warning too.
It's made it all real. I've warned my elderly neighbours and dug out candle lanterns and locked the cats in.
It's going to be a rough night.

Yes: I'm terrified of gales and high winds anyway, and I live in an area of Wales that's in the red warning zone. We had the government alert on our phones earlier, mine was on silent but still blared. At least I don't have to worry about flooding, I'm in a 1st floor flat. My heart goes out to all those in flood risk areas and those who've been flooded before. I'm literally terrified and plan to put an audiobook on earbuds and take a sleeping pill. Hopefully I'll sleep through it. Stay safe all