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

@Hugasauras

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.

These trees clearly didn't get the memo about being built more strong to withstand storms!

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

100 miles is a massive distance 'up North' when we either travel barefoot or on horse an carriage, with our emergency generators and washing mangles

Above quote from @ChoiceMummy

So now it's the northerners fault for living up here... we should just move? No thanks!

YANBU X

[quote ontana]*@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"[/quote]
I see people using the word "choose" like that on here a lot now. I was having neighbour problems before and being kept up at like 3am and was told I should "choose" to live in a detached house. Hahahahahaha if that choice was available to me I would have took it.

Saw similar a while ago where a poster was saying about things that happen where they live and someone said something like " you must live in a very rough area, that doesn't happen where I live, why are you choosing to live in a rough area" again hahahahahahaha.

When I see people who live in built up. areas complaining about pollution I don't think "consequence of your choosing to live there, you should choose to move" There's so many reasons why someone can't "choose" to move to wherever they want.

@ChaoticWoman
Did you not buy your home or sign a rental agreement for it? If so, you chose that home in that location.

Why try and continue to perpetuate the myth that things happen to people? Rather than believing people should take control and change whatever isn't working for them?

If you live in an urban crapoy area then find a cheaper or similarly priced home elsewhere. If you don't like your job, then you change it, upskill yourself, make yourself actually attractive to prospective new employers. Be proactive.

Likewise if you can mitigate for frequent inclement weather in your current home, sort it! Stop the apathy.

Kirstie Allsopp seems to have entered the chat.

This thread got side tracked

@MorningStarling please educate yourself! Google "storm Arwen damage Northumberland" or north Tyneside and then tell me the north is "better equipped" for storms because were used to wind!

Maybe someone should've told the multiple large trees that were lifted from the roots (not just branches snapped off) or the houses that lost their roofs or walls that they should be used to it by now!
I also know of people in Northumberland who were without power and had to move into hotels to stay warm until any generators or financial compensation was even offered!

@ChoiceMummy you seem to think that you are educating a bunch of illiterates in how to better themselves. Is that what you believe is actually happening here? 😂

I've just been seen a fb post of people taking photos of their blown over bins in London.. makes me think we've got special bins up north... oh wait... we secured them 🤪

@kittensinthekitchen

Kirstie Allsopp seems to have entered the chat.

🤣

twitter.com/danholley_/status/1494997261444599810?t=5CcJU3inE1HnaDBPO1WXSw&s=19 just saw this on twitter and sort of makes the point a little, surely?

Not really... just proves that eunice has more media coverage than arwen. Both storms were red events.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/17/how-does-storm-eunice-compare-with-uk-worst-weather-in-recent-history

How many people in the south east are now without power due to storm Eunice and will they still be without power in a week's time? I'd be Interested to know given we lost power for 6 days after Arwen and no one cared.

This is why people who suffered damage were annoyed about all the media coverage about eunice countrywide but nothing was done for all the people up here without power for weeks. Some families were still crammed into temp accommodation for Christmas. It's about the difference in response to both storms.

We were aware there was a red alert, but no schools were closed, people had to go about their business as normal, no contingency measures etc. Stark difference to the response of a red alert in the south.

@ontana people in my town and other towns are expected to be back on on the 23rd. Thousands are without power. We aren't south east but are the south coast..

Or are the south not actually allowed to have a bad storm because we are southern and pathetic and "nancys" despite it being our worse in 24 years?

Not our fault your local authorities didn't close your schools but ours chose to. That is a local authority decision.

@DementedPanda

We were aware there was a red alert, but no schools were closed, people had to go about their business as normal, no contingency measures etc. Stark difference to the response of a red alert in the south.

But that is on your local authorities? Our LA made the decision well before cobra was ever mentioned.

Good job really as one local school suffered bad damage during the school day (their solar panels flew off the roof) which landed on a thankfully empty playground. My DC's school lost power at 10am and it still isn't back on.

I'm glad our LA made the decision to close, it's a shame yours didn't during Arwen.

@Mumofsend I hope your power is back soon.

Your local authorities definately made the right call. Its a shame ours didn't. I hope you haven't suffered too much damage. I don't think Southern Nancy's by the way.. just annoyed we didn't get the same level of response but that is not your fault. The point of the thread was the differences in the way each event was handled by the powers that be, and I think its clear Storm Arwen wasn't handled well.

Hope everyone affected by eunice has power/damage rectified soon.

Re schools - the timing was different for Arwen as it hit on a Friday night

@Mumofsend I have spent half my life growing up and living in the South, the second half in the North. Judging by the long term s**tshow that is 'levelling up', I would say it seems to me that the South hates the North.