Work not taking red alert seriously

[Founderflower]

Why are some people not taking the red weather warning seriously? Where I am it’s 39 degrees on Wed/ Thur but ‘feels like’ 42 according to BBC.

At work they’re expecting everyone in - the office is air conditioned, so fine, but we’re central London so everyone needs to schlep in on public transport.

Red means a danger to life and not just for vulnerable people. Some people who are healthy will die because of the weather. There’s warnings of power outages and transport failures. So what happens if we get stuck on a broken down underground train?

I KNOW other countries see these temps regularly. But they are prepared for dealing with it. England is not and it fucks up. I don’t want a heart attack from sitting in 48 degree heat on a train. I’m really stressed out!

If it were a red warning around severe wind or rain or flooding they wouldn’t be telling everyone to come in! So why is heat seen differently?

Phone in sick.

Well logically, being underground you shouldn’t be any more affected by surface temperatures than usual so your anxiety about being stuck on a broken underground train is unfounded. But I do get that being above ground will be worrying.

Feel free to book the day as annual leave then, or lose wages and take it sick.

Walk! Slowly, take plenty of water, use sunscreen and keep in the shade as far as possible. London is great because the tall buildings create a breeze even on the stillest days. How on earth do you think those who live in hot countries survive?

I think you should book the day off if it’s giving you this much anxiety

What’s the logic?

You’ve clearly never been on the tube in an extreme heatwave…

Im not sending the kids on Wednesday or Thursday, West Midlands is hitting 39 and 40 on those days so they’re staying at home where they’ll be comfortable. Sod the attendance. Last time we hit 40 school stayed open, then called the parents at 11am asking everyone to come and get their kids !

I used to commute into London every day and I remember only too well the trains not working due to buckling train lines. I was going home one day from London Liverpool Street and the train stopped with the sun blazing into the windows. We sat there for 3hrs. There was a lady in front of me wearing a beautiful light red silk blouse which got darker and darker with sweat as the time ticked on.

Unfortunately I don't think you have a choice though. You just had to crack on, take plenty of water and hope that you get to your office as efficiently as possible.

The point is we don’t do we. Our country shouldn’t be getting this hot. Our houses and buildings are not built for it. Our roads melt !

Have you ever used the underground.
It's atleast 5-10 degrees warmer than above ground year round. The Central line is in a league of its own feeling like you're sat in an oven.

Some of these responses are intentionally trying to provoke the OP. It’s not unreasonable to be concerned about working in - and travelling to - the most impacted areas. Sadly the capitalist systems we exist within will always prioritise output over everything else (including life) unless their hand is forced.

Take a handheld fan for public transport, plus some cooling towels, cold drinks and gel ice packs in a cool box to keep by your desk in case you need them! Commute to work as early as possible while it’s still a fairly manageable temperature, and leave after the worst of the heat.
Wear breathable fabrics.

“How on earth do you think those who live in hot countries survive?”

Acclimated to the heat, buildings designed to stay cool v keep heat in, air conditioning as routine, lifestyles that avoid certain things at certain times of day, not as high humidity, etc.

The whole point is that Britain is not set up for heat like this, hence why there is a ‘danger to life’ warning for some areas. People are not used to this level of heat, the infrastructure of our country is not designed for this level of heat. It’s a bit disingenuous to say ‘Well people in blah blah blah have this all the time!’ It’s like asking why we can’t handle the snow as well as Alaska.

If you’re that panicked about it and unable to cope, book some annual leave.

Get up really early so you can walk rather than take the tube.

What about the emergency services? Can they have the day off?

I can’t disagree more. Underground trains get unbearably hot in heatwaves. I can remember even when Boris or Ken Livingston was mayor there being a competition with a huge prize money to invent a way of cooling it down and the weather was nothing like it will be this week. If you were stuck in a tube in this heat, in rush hour, I honestly think people would be fainting and having panic attacks.

Trains were speed restricted yesterday due to track temperatures, I wouldn’t be surprised if some don’t run at all over the next few days

Presumably they’d appreciate being kept less busy by people passing out in the heat 😁

Have you ever been on the London underground, lol. The central and northern lines are as hot as Hades.

You're lucky you have air con. No such luck in my office. Granted I'm not in London so not as hot where I am and don't have to contend with the tube but still you're in an air conditioned office.

I wouldn't want to be on a packed, broken down tube in 40C, that's for certain. Get up early and walk.

Have you ever taken the central line??

Is this a joke?