to not understand people who ignore weather warnings?

[Tricked2003]

My area was under a red warning until noon, it has been very gusty! Still gusty now but not quite as bad as earlier. Schools closed, postal deliveries suspended, no buses and a clear Stay at home message..........

So why are so many people going out? A tile came off our roof earlier and smashed outside the back door, I know of at least three large trees down within half a mile of home and locally I have seen photos of a flat roof landing on a house.
I don't understand why so many people think this weather warning is a joke? People are driving to the coast (a few miles away) to watch the surf! I like watching the surf as much as anyone but why risk it?

The people of this country have had enough of experts

Essential travel - fine
Standing on a seafront - Darwin Awards candidates

@walksen

Well if we have learned anything over the last 2 years it is

1. do your own risk assessment. 2). The last time there was a storm this bad there were only 22 casualties. The survival rate is far in excess of 99.99%. 3 risk is all-around us and we need to learn to live with it and you could get hit by a bus.
   4 The health service is not going to be overwhelmed as hospital admissions will be well under 4000 a day.
2. Staying in and cowering in fear is bad for your mental health 6 why are we worried. No one actually died from the storm yet.

actually they have. A 60 year old man hit by a tree and 13 dogs killed by a falling power line.

@TYU7

Apparently there were some people surfing this morning!

Not surprising tbh. They would have seen that as a great opportunity.

@walksen

Well if we have learned anything over the last 2 years it is

1. do your own risk assessment. 2). The last time there was a storm this bad there were only 22 casualties. The survival rate is far in excess of 99.99%. 3 risk is all-around us and we need to learn to live with it and you could get hit by a bus.
   4 The health service is not going to be overwhelmed as hospital admissions will be well under 4000 a day.
2. Staying in and cowering in fear is bad for your mental health 6 why are we worried. No one actually died from the storm yet.

Totally agree. People have different levels of risk taking behaviour and some people are far more comfortable with it than others. There is a difference to risk taking when done with a risk assessment to just reckless behaviour though. I'm happy to be out and about in this weather as I've assessed the risk to me as acceptable. Higher than other days, yes, but still well within my acceptable range.

The wind has only just arrived where I am. 50 miles an hour. I which my child's school could have sent them home earlier. Now they will be getting buses to get home 🙄

My husband's school was open so he had to go in despite travelling from an area where all the trains were cancelled.

Dd's college was closed but she has to go into work tonight as tehy are open.

People can't afford to decide to just not go into work.

I went out because I work in a hospital.

I had to drive to do work. The roads are a lot quieter, but then we've got no coast to gawp at. No schools seem to be shut here though. A few trees have finally succumbed. I'm glad I'm not by anything tidal at all, i wouldn't go out of my way to see first hand the power of the sea in this, I've seen a tsunami and screamed and cried. I think some humans don't understand danger well, a sanitised modern townlife 'ife doesn't prepare you for it.

@walksen

Well if we have learned anything over the last 2 years it is

1. do your own risk assessment. 2). The last time there was a storm this bad there were only 22 casualties. The survival rate is far in excess of 99.99%. 3 risk is all-around us and we need to learn to live with it and you could get hit by a bus.
   4 The health service is not going to be overwhelmed as hospital admissions will be well under 4000 a day.
2. Staying in and cowering in fear is bad for your mental health 6 why are we worried. No one actually died from the storm yet.

That 👆👆

And tbh we’ve been told to make our choice and not to listen to experts so should we do that now?
I mean 1 person and 13 dogs dead is nothing compare to the 1000+ people who died in the last week right?

As for what are people out and about doing?
They work
They have no choice but to go to work
They might be a carer, Support a family member etc…

And yes some people will make a risk evaluation that will be very different than you and me. The surfers example is an excellent one. All the people I know who practice that sport (and are good enough) would be looking at the storm as a massive opportunity.

Some people are just stupid/ selfish and don't think or care about the people who may have to rescue them if things go very wrong. I’ve seen the images of people swimming in the sea despite the warnings and am annoyed at the thought the RLNI may well be called out if idiots get into difficulty.

We had complete insert your own adjectives go swimming and surfing when there were clear tsunami warnings/ stay away from the water/ get to high ground warnings… people still went down to the beach to goggle at strange waves and tidal patterns…

Shakes head…. Grumps off…

@HerRoyalNotness

Nosy? Curious? Stupidity? Arrogance? Ego? Who knows?

I have one an H that would. We had major flooding near us and warnings of flash flooding and he decided to go for a drive to ‘have a look’ and asked the kids if they wanted to go! He told me not to be stupid, water doesn’t come up that fast….erm why do you think it’s called flash flooding? Obv stopped him taking the kids out, but he still went.

Another time decided to drive to work while the city was flooded, couldn’t get through so came nome again, took about 5hrs. No idea why!

I'm sorry but he sounds exceptionally dense

Because it's their life and up to them to decide the level of risk they want to live with. Plus people have to work

I think it depends. Going out just for the sake of it is a but silly. However there are plenty of people who cant work from home for example my DP is at work today, a high street bank. They havent closed so staff are expected.
There are lots of people who dont get paid if they dont go to work so you cant judge everyone who's out.

@Hobbesmanc

Storm Arwen was miles worse- but I guess it didn't hit the South East. Everyone I know not home working had to go in as usual. Food shops etc still need doing. This evening Im guessing pubs and restaurants will open as normal.

It’s not about where it hits north/south. They have recorded the strongest ever gust of wind in England today on the Isle of Wight. This is genuinely extreme wind. Here in Berks schools and universities have closed, council services closed etc.

I dont listen to general weather forecasts and warnings, I always check the Met Office forecasts for our specific area, and go by them.

People standing on a harbour wall to watch the waves is very stupid indeed but...

I will not be called selfish for wondering to the shop. GET A GRIP! Mumsnet is so hysterical sometimes it makes me cringe.

The only people I know who have been out today have done so for work or to look after/ check on vulnerable relatives/ animals.

Personally I have stayed home with my kids. My husband has had to go to work, he works on an essential service and cannot do his job from home.

Plenty of people would moan if him and his colleagues stayed home.

Trust me, we’d all prefer him to stay home.

why are we worried. No one actually died from the storm yet

news.sky.com/story/amp/storm-eunice-claims-mans-life-as-it-unleashes-record-breaking-122mph-gust-and-wreaks-havoc-nationwide-12545172

Sadly that's not true.

A young woman has also died.

Because (if you hadn't already learnt this from the last 2 years ) not all of us have the privilege of 'just staying at home'.

It was my grandad's funeral today. The red weather warning in our area was reported five hours before the service.

It's not as simple as you think. I'd have loved to have stayed inside. That being said I saw a photo of someone going for a swim in the sea on the South Coast earlier and the police telling him to come out 😂