To think that the TV and newspapers wouldn't give a shit about this storm if it hadn't happened in the South East?

[CiderBomb]

All morning I've been hearing on the news about the terrible storm that has apparently hit " Britain" in the early hours of this morning, however here we've had absolutely nothing apart from a bit of heavy rain. Seems like it was just the South East, but no surprises there because for a lot of people in the media that's where the British Isles apparently begins and ends....

I've just watched This Morning and they are talking about it like the whole country is affected, then Eamonn makes a snotty comment along the lines of "people on Twitter are saying that just because they are not affected we shouldn't be talking about it". Maybe they are just thinking the same way as I am, that a small part of the country was affected by bad weather, but the majority of us got off scot free?

I can't help but wonder how this would have been reported had the storm come in from the North Sea and devastated Scotland and the North East?......

Are they highland haggi or lowland haggi, because I find that makes a difference.

Lowland haggi are more truculent, absorb water easily and are therefore more difficult to destabilise.

Highland haggi on the other hand are very whimisical and prone to starting jigs, so they become more easily unbalanced during inclement weather.

Lowland haggi are more truculent, absorb water easily and are therefore more difficult to destabilise.Highland haggi on the other hand are very whimisical and prone to starting jigs, so they become more easily unbalanced during inclement weather.

Well that cheered me up

Apparently the storm picked up again over the North Sea and winds of 100mph+ have been recorded in Denmark this afternoon/evening.

I thought quangle's point about geography and landscape was really interesting. It's not one I have thought of before but it makes sense to me. Isn't she just saying that if you took a like for like storm in Scotland the potential for damage caused would be less because of the different landscape and vegetation so therefore might not get the same coverage? I think the point here was addressing those posters who stated that faced with equally strong winds they got on with hunting haggis etc

If you took another storm which may not have been equal to this one in force but had the same devastating results - up to 607,500 homes without power, 4 dead and 1 missing then of course it would be covered no matter where it hit in the country. Lots of people on this thread have agreed with that, posters from the north and south. At least that's how I read it.

Apologies - haggi. Messing up my terminology and grammar there

The "small non-existent southern bias" storm carried on into mainland Europe and the death toll is now 13.

HootShoot

Yes - but then if a storm hit a remote rural area with a low population in England/Wales then the impact would also be less significant (although nonetheless very serious for those impacted by it).

If similar storm hit a densely populated urban area of Scotland with similar consequences (catastrophic damage to infrastructure and fatalities) I'm sure it would also be reported nationally. The impact on Glasgow or Edinburgh would be horrendous.

To answer simply, no - the damage wouldn't be less.

harticus how awful .

I can't help but wonder how this would have been reported had the storm come in from the North Sea and devastated Scotland and the North East?......

Would anyone actually notice if the North East was devastated by a storm?

4 people died

I live in the south east, to be fair it wasn't that bad for us - we had a bit of felt ripped off the top of the shed, haven't seen any other damage. I think the language used by the news was a bit dramatic, but the fact remains that people have lost their lives, lets not trivialise that?

13 now?? :(

More chippy Northern bollocks.

I have news for you: one third of the population lives in London and the South East.
Second: a significant proportion of the news coverage actually centred on Wales and the South West. And they clearly had an outside broadcast team in Brighton. I hardly saw London mentioned, actually, even on the local (London) news.

Get over it.

I think I might being as I live there.

I was surprised to see 4 people have been killed, well not exactly... I was surprised to see that the 4 reported were all in the south. The lady who lost her life up here wasn't worth a mention

I don't disagree with that at all Flippinado, I really think quangle was trying to address the many posters who were downplaying this storm because they claimed to face these wind conditions all the time and got on with it. You can't adress liks for like on weather conditions only the devastation they cause. Storms do have different impacts depending on the landscape and the density of population that they hit. You and I both agree (I think) that a storm with equally devastating results would be reported if it his the north or Scotland.

I've seen some really derogatory commenst about the storm and it's effects, on various social media sites, and this thread and I find it pretty appalling that it is referred to as a 'non event' and similar, I am pretty sure the loved ones of those poor people crushed by falling trees do not see it as a 'non event'.

Yes, I see what you mean HootShoot, on reading back.

Four people have died, and according to the BBC 57,000 homes are still without power due to yesterdays storm.

On our way to work/school this morning there were still lots of trees all over the place, the tree outside my house was uprooted during yesterdays storm, sheer luck that the paperboy was a couple of seconds behind otherwise he'd have ended up under it.

It never ever ceases to shock me how competitive people are over misery, I must admit however I was not aware that Scotland regularly suffers massive power cuts and deaths due to the severe weather conditions there.

I'm sorry that those of you who are there do suffer this regularly, because yesterday was terrifying for us.

People have died in this storm, not to mention the fair bit of structural damage across it's path, power cuts etc.

Would you like some vinegar to go with that chip on your shoulder OP?

Agree.

I agree about chips on shoulders. People have died, been seriously injured and gone missing, FFS.

I think if 4 people were killed by a single weather system in a day, around 300 railway stations were not running any services for about 10 hours during rush hour and beyond, hundreds of trees fell causing damage vehicles, buildings and blocking roads, and a quarter of a million people were left without power ANYWHERE in the UK, it would be on the news.

Last time I checked, for something to be newsworthy it doesn't have to affect everyone. That would make 99.9% of the news entirely superfluous.

I lived in East Kent in 1987. Trust me big storms are no fun.

I think you might be going a bit too far, but I agree it wouldn't have generated as much interest if London and South East were not at risk. However, it still had an effect on the whole country, in terms of worry about relatives in the most affected areas, and of course travel.

vipers: "I was surprised to see that the 4 reported were all in the south. The lady who lost her life up here wasn't worth a mention"

Yeah, coz I bet the editors in the newsroom saw that there was a fifth and said "Nah, leave her out, she's from oop north. They don't count."