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

It will be interesting to see the level of response in the areas hit by this red warning compared to the lack of response to the aftermath of storm arwen. Certainly in my area, it was the community pulling together. Local people removing fallen trees, people offering to help the old and vulnerable to make safe any damage. Businesses opening up to provide shelter, food and water for those without power.

I'm one of lots of people who simply cannot afford to replace fences and insurance policies don't cover fence damage .

@Dontforgetyourbrolly
Happy to be told IABU but your post is missing the point. It’s not about the government having to explain that 100mph winds are dangerous and causing dramas. It’s just I don’t feel the government had any plans or preparation in place for the potential damage that Arwen could have caused in comparison to Eunice. I’d like to think the current planning was because Arwen proved they needed to take another red warning more seriously but I’m not convinced and I genuinely wondered if others felt the same.

ChoiceMummy I think you've just proven the OPs point. Nowhere did OP say she was referring to Scotland, I presumed as did many others she was referring to the North of England

Very few people are 'better equipped to cope' with 10 days without power.

No lights, no internet, no phones, no hot drinks, no hot meals, no post office service, all food in the freezer going off. My mid-80s parents were not set up to cope with that. Several days without water too for some.

The huge areas with trees down in Northumberland and the Borders following Storm Arwen are a persistent reminder of that day and how long it took for a response.

@traintraveller

ChoiceMummy I think you've just proven the OPs point. Nowhere did OP say she was referring to Scotland, I presumed as did many others she was referring to the North of England

Eee I am referring to North East England as yes that's where I live but I included Scotland as I knew the storm also affected there pretty badly. I've also got family up there and we were worried about them. I can't really comment on Sturgeon and her response (someone upthread mentioned this earlier)

I do think we're going to see a lot more of these severe storms in future and I would just like to think that having experienced them, the government will be better prepared for a response whenever a red warning is issued

I heard ab lot about Arwen, saw the red notices etc. And they seem to be on par with this one. But the response/preparation?

Pah!

I'm in the confluence of the river Severn and Wye, close to the top of the tidal section of the Severn. And our response? Mainly local, although there is a fire engine out and the police are currently asking what they should do!

Facebook is full of locals offering all sorts of services before, during and after, depending on how it goes. All the usual people, those of us who get flooded in, lose electricity ona depresingly regualr basis, are as prepped as we can be and ready to help those neighbours who usually get it worse than we do.

Formal info, from various LAs is "Stay at home" which, pretty obviously, many cannot do. And buses have stopped - the ones they haven't permanently cancelled, so, because city schools are closed, a local minibus hire company is doing the rounds instead.

Again, we wll manage it ourelves and someone somewhere else will beam broadly on telly telling us all how well they managed things!

@Hospedia

We don't hate the South, we'd just like to be given the same amount of consideration and some funding.

Exactly.

@EatYourVegetables our whole local authority closed schools for 3 days….

I'm not sure tbh.

London wasn't in red zone yesterday when they held the cobra meeting.

I also like to hope it's because they've learnt lessons from Arwen.

YANBU and I can guarantee the reporting of the storm will follow the same pattern. It’s always the way.

@Mumofsend

The North really hates the South

What a ridiculous take.

And if you truly think the North hates the South (we dont, but if you do think it), perhaps ask why? Clue: it rhymes with schmecades of schneglect.

@SamphiretheStickerist

Your post is really interesting as my perception (probably due to the media coverage and knowing of the cobra meeting) is that things are being prepared for much more but actually the reality sounds different and what you've described sounds very similar to what people had to do near me for Arwen

I really hope you aren't too badly hit x

Fingers well and truly crossed.

Winds aren't currently too bad, but there is that weird feeling in the air, charged, prickly. So I am taking the dog's advice and hunkering down. I am shopped and ready to do nothing... until I am needed in the local community kitchen. We are preparing to raid the food bank stores again, to cook for whoever needs hot food.

We shall see...

PS: approximately 14.5 million people live in the North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and Humber. Coupled with the population of Scotland that's over 20 million, I haven't included NI and Northern parts of Wales who were also affected but kets not pretebd it was just a few sheep and half a dozen farmed who were impacted.

Well said!!!

I think thats why I would need to see the actual response before judging. I know after flooding in the southwest, some people werent home for more than 2 years!. I know they got an minister in a high viz visit - but i dont think he did anything useful.

The North really hates the South

Hating the relentless focus on and prioritisation by government of the South (more the SE and London tbh) is not the same thing as hating the South or the people who live there.

Durham this morning, everything running as normal.

This pretty much sums up the attitude:

@BobbinHood

Hit the nail on the head! I definitely don't hate the south. I visit often, I've lots of friends from various places including the south. Would probably go more but it's very far and so travel costs are high

I just feel the government don't give enough focus on the North sometimes. So there you go, it's i governments I don't like! Ha!

Totally agree OP, and with all the "cm of snow in London" comments.

Nothing new.

out of interest, when something like this in Scotland and wales, do the governments makes the decisions?

@Samcro

out of interest, when something like this in Scotland and wales, do the governments makes the decisions?

What decisions?

Like for like, the buildings and trees in Scotland and the North of England are better designed/developed to withstand higher winds so winds of a similar speed and direction will cause less damage than they would further South.

This may have contributed to a more blasé official attitude to Arwen -but government and power companies disastrously failed to account for or deal effectively with the fact that the winds came from the wrong direction and took down enormous numbers of trees which had developed to withstand winds from the South West.

And yes the fact that most of the bases of power and decision making are several hundreds of miles away contributed as well.

Can i let you into a secret about snow. The south east loves it. The place only 'grinds to a halt' because its rare and we get excited, pretend nothing can get us to work and rush out to play for the couple of days every other year or so that snow settles.

I grew up in scotland and my first snow experience in the south east was me walking to where i was supposed to be, feeling all tough and special and then realising everyone else was having fun.