Response to storm Arwen vs Eunice

[ArwenVsEunice]

Curious to hear other peoples POV. Does anyone feel let down by the government’s response to storm Eunice versus storm Arwen, both with rare red warning storms?

For Eunice the Government have held an emergency cobra meeting, thousands of schools have been closed and there’s huge national media coverage. I think this absolutely is the right thing to do.

When Arwen was brewing there was no cobra meeting, just general advice to be careful from the Met Office. it was in the media but only to a very small extent www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-59419772. We live in the areas affected by Arwen and it was pretty terrifying when it hit. It took out trees and roofs local to where we live, at PIL it blew down their garden wall and fencing and left a 6ft hole. It knocked out power to nearly 250,000 homes. It took at least 5 days to get the army in to help those still cut off. I’ve not seen anything like it in my lifetime.

The optimistic part of me likes to think the government learnt from Arwen and have now pulled their socks up to deal with Eunice the way they should have done but the cynical part of me just feels like they weren’t bothered about Arwen as it was up in Scotland and the North East

AIBU to feel this way?

YANBU - it’s yet another example of the government not caring unless its a problem that affects the south/London

YABU - the government didn’t recognise the severity of Arwen and have learnt from their mistakes with Eunice

@Mumofsend she doesn’t control the media.

This thread is so sad .

So many people saying (paraphrased obviously):

“I had no heat, no light, for 10 days in the depths of winter. No power. No access to hot food. Did you not know, or did you not care?”

And the majority responses, from those who weren’t affected:

“I didn’t know, but I still don’t care”

@feelingdizzy

I was thinking this watching news today .I live in be Scotland I was without power for 5 days no phone signal either , schools shut . I also lost power for 3 days with storm Malik more recently whilst I had Covid!! Today we have 20 cm of snow that fell today . I have had 8 days without power recently 5 days out of work as schools shut no power and today snow . Imagine the news if this was the SE !

But is that not par for the course of choosing to live where you do in Scotland versus living in the south east where such storms and snow would be extrairdinary?

@ABCDEF1234

Yesterday we had the same winds than the South (according to the met Office) The south had a red weather warning whilst we had yellow-oh and we also had snow. How does that work?!

Exactly. Plus early tomorrow morning untill Monday lunchtime we have very strong winds yet again. Why isn't this on the news? Oh yes because its Yorkshire not London 😡

*@ChoiceMummy
*
But is that not par for the course of choosing to live where you do in Scotland versus living in the south east where such storms and snow would be extrairdinary

"Choosing to live in Scotland" is a strange way to think about it. Most people live where they are born/where they grow up, it's not really a matter of "choosing"

@StarsAndSugarlumps

This thread is so sad .

So many people saying (paraphrased obviously):

“I had no heat, no light, for 10 days in the depths of winter. No power. No access to hot food. Did you not know, or did you not care?”

And the majority responses, from those who weren’t affected:

“I didn’t know, but I still don’t care”

Didn't care? No, not that people don't care per se, but as a rule of most people genuinely only care when they're directly impacted. And again those in Scotland for example, should be far more prepared/setup for such situations than you'd anticipate in the South. No different to how majority of people I know who live in the absolute middle of nowhere in the south have alternative power sources, such as generators etc and usually also different heating sources.

@ChoiceMummy you seem to be conflating "living in Scotland" with "living in the middle of nowhere" 🤔🤔 There are 7 cities in Scotland you know.

@Plumbear2
The South have strong winds today again and at various point forecasted this week. Did you know that?
You only bother with what affects you.

@ontana
I am not sure. I've chosen to live where I do. As do most. Whether that's where they were born, family moved to or some other driving factor.
Regardless, we have to accept that our choices what drove them have consequences and different implications that we have to allow for.
For example, around here, most of the seafront homes have shutters as standard that would have been shit for the storm. A part of being a basic prerequisite.
Same as that I don't know many homes in Scotland that have aircon, I do know homes in the South that have paid for systems of varying levels.

[quote ontana]@ChoiceMummy you seem to be conflating "living in Scotland" with "living in the middle of nowhere" 🤔🤔 There are 7 cities in Scotland you know. [/quote]
Not at all.

The South have strong winds today again and at various point forecasted this week. Did you know that?
You only bother with what affects you.

Oh really? Because the yellow warning for wind (or indeed any weather) only remains over the south of England today. For Sunday and Monday it covers the North West and most of Scotland. Nothing in the south. Perhaps the Met Office are also in on the conspiracy of whinging northerners?

[quote ChoiceMummy]@Plumbear2
The South have strong winds today again and at various point forecasted this week. Did you know that?
You only bother with what affects you.

@ontana
I am not sure. I've chosen to live where I do. As do most. Whether that's where they were born, family moved to or some other driving factor.
Regardless, we have to accept that our choices what drove them have consequences and different implications that we have to allow for.
For example, around here, most of the seafront homes have shutters as standard that would have been shit for the storm. A part of being a basic prerequisite.
Same as that I don't know many homes in Scotland that have aircon, I do know homes in the South that have paid for systems of varying levels.[/quote]
Actually I did know that, it's on the news. The forecast for yourksire tomorrow I could only find on my weather app. That's my point

I heard plenty about Arwen but only AFTER it happened. There were next to no warnings for the areas affected and no one gave a shot really. Eunice had a vastly different approach despite the level of damage being similar. YANBU

And we all heard about the 02 buildings roof yesterday on national news. Did we hear about any of the buildings in my area that also had there roof blown on national news? No? Exactly it's only a concern if it's in London 😡

WTF at the idea Scotland is some alternative backwards universe.

@ChoiceMummy

Where in Scotland have you visited?

I am not sure. I've chosen to live where I do. As do most. Whether that's where they were born, family moved to or some other driving factor.

This makes no sense. You don't choose where you are born. Being so socially mobile that you have compete freedom and autonomy to choose to live wherever you want is not normal.

@Plumbear2

And we all heard about the 02 buildings roof yesterday on national news. Did we hear about any of the buildings in my area that also had there roof blown on national news? No? Exactly it's only a concern if it's in London 😡

My shed roof came off. Was a fun hour, everyone running round trying to gather up the escaped haggis'. Someone played the bagpipes to entertain us.

Still, great wind for drying the old kilts!

This was the aftermath of Storm Corrie not far from where we live. I've lived in the north-east of Scotland for 20 years (and the west coast before then) and am struggling to recall a time when the wind was so bad.

@kittensinthekitchen thanks for that . A welcome bit of light relief.

@Hugasauras but as some posters have explained, we should grow stronger trees, or perhaps shutters would help

As a southerner, who isnt London based, the fact the 02 roof came off is no more relevant to me than it is a person in yorkshire.

I think the government response to arwen was shocking and people should be angry about it.

@ontana

I am not sure. I've chosen to live where I do. As do most. Whether that's where they were born, family moved to or some other driving factor.

This makes no sense. You don't choose where you are born. Being so socially mobile that you have compete freedom and autonomy to choose to live wherever you want is not normal.

Absolutely, the only time I've been able to have a choice was as a student although obviously restricted by university proximity.

I was born in the North East and studied in the north of Scotland and the South East of England (it was one hell of a move!) And can honestly say I don't want to move back to the South East. It wasn't for me and I found the benefits of living there didn't outweigh the benefits of moving back to the North East for me. Someone from the south studying in York might feel the same way about moving back to the South East.

Despite what some posters are making out the South East (as this seems to be their focus) isn't a magical place where all the problems in the North don't exist. However surely one area we should be able to agree on in that such extreme weather events should be treated in the same way regardless of where you are in the UK.

At choosing to live in a place where these things happen !! I live just outside Aberdeen ( inland ) not in Alaska Should we all move?
. Of course we get snow , but 20cm yesterday was a lot . Didn't see it reported much .I also don't think storms that knock out electricity for a week are generally part of the local weather systems.
I was focussing on the reporting of this , I had no power for 8 days recently that's a fact . If this had happened in Milton Keynes would it have been reported more ?

@feelingdizzy

At choosing to live in a place where these things happen !! I live just outside Aberdeen ( inland ) not in Alaska Should we all move? . Of course we get snow , but 20cm yesterday was a lot . Didn't see it reported much .I also don't think storms that knock out electricity for a week are generally part of the local weather systems. I was focussing on the reporting of this , I had no power for 8 days recently that's a fact . If this had happened in Milton Keynes would it have been reported more ?

To me, the scandal is that so many people were left with no power, in winter, for so long, not what was published in the (mostly) gutter press.

I did hear about it, consistently, on R4, and they interviewed people from the energy companies, councils, government etc looking for accountability. But the papers are largely focussed in the next click bait headline. ‘New’ news.

@ontana

I am not sure. I've chosen to live where I do. As do most. Whether that's where they were born, family moved to or some other driving factor.

This makes no sense. You don't choose where you are born. Being so socially mobile that you have compete freedom and autonomy to choose to live wherever you want is not normal.

Research suggests Britons live 100 miles from birthplace on average. That's quite a distance. So yes, the ability to move is fairly normal.