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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Natural disasters in the UK

104 replies

Nevermay · 14/08/2023 16:42

From another thread......! I am seriously amazed, and pretty disturbed at the number of posters who seem to think the UK is somehow living a charmed life whereby no natural disaster will ever occur here!

I did think that some of the population have displayed a very entitled attitude in recent years when they have had to make adjustments for dangerous situation, such as feeling seriously hard done by, even "traumatised" by having to socially distance during lockdown, or expecting red carpet treatment and being looked after as a special case when caught up in wild fires, rather than just dealing with the situation as it is, as other populations more used to danger did.

Meteor strikes, for example - we have the technology, and the international cooperation, to predict and prevent an "extinction level event" such as the one which wiped out the dinosaurs. But there are millions of near earth objects, and we can't track them all. Small meteorites hit regularly, medium ones hit occasionally, and no one can predict when one the wrong size on the wrong trajectory will destroy a city or populated area, even a small country.

There are supervolcanoes and they do erupt - not sure why people seem to think it won't affect the UK if it happens, as we are directly in the firing line of one of those most likely to blow,

Tsunamis - massive tsunamis have hit the Uk in the past, and are likely to do so again, why would they not? Especially as their origin and cause is very unclear,

We are very lucky in that we have been relatively safe in the recent few hundred years, but its very naive to assume we can take it for granted we always will be. And what we gain in terms of relative geographical security, we lose in terms or resilience and preparedness, so in some ways are more vulnerable to natural disasters than societies that plan for and expect them

( and that is before we even begin on the possibilities of man made disasters.....)

OP posts:
Jamtartforme · 14/08/2023 16:44

Because we would all be dead anyway, what’s the point worrying

SquashPenguin · 14/08/2023 16:49

Supervolcanos dont ‘just’ erupt like it’s some sort of regular occurrence. That would be a worldwide catastrophe so pointless worrying about.

GasPanic · 14/08/2023 16:49

I have a policy of not worrying about anything I can't do anything about. This includes :

Massive meteorite strikes.
Super volcanic eruptions.
Tsunamis.

I do keep a bit of supplies stashed (certainly not at prepper level but enough to tide me over for a couple of weeks provided I can eat cold hot dog sausages and live off purified water) in case of emergency. My guess is after a couple of weeks everyone will be either dead, or will have killed me and nicked my stash.

After that you need to move to a more sustainable long term survival plan. Having a garage full of catering tins of baked beans just doesn't cut it.

awaytofrance · 14/08/2023 17:02

You're being ridiculous. Only TWO tsumanis have been confirmed to have hit the UK in recorded history.
A meteor strike? Even the 10,000 ton one is Russia ten years ago didn't kill a single person. It's beyond extremely unlikely.

I don't think anyone is saying its entirely impossible for anything to happen, but it's so ridiculously unlikely to be any of the things mentioned as to make it laughable.

Ridiculous, really, when you think of all the real things that could actually easily wipe us all out.

VeridicalVagabond · 14/08/2023 17:04

Why waste time worrying about something that is astronomically unlikely to happen, and that I can't do anything about anyway?

KrisAkabusi · 14/08/2023 17:05

The odds of any of these things happening are vanishingly small. And we can't do anything about them anyway. So there's no point in worrying about them.

Flapjacker48 · 14/08/2023 17:05

You have been watching to many Hollywood disaster films.

WeetabixTowels · 14/08/2023 17:06

OP, you claimed the UK is at risk of a volcanic eruption on that other thread. Just own your silliness and be done with it.

3dogsandarabbit · 14/08/2023 17:07

Sorry to disappoint you OP, but since the 1700s not one single person has died in the UK because of a tsunami.

CloudyMcCloud · 14/08/2023 17:08

Op another thread? Are you very concerned about it all?

Nevermay · 14/08/2023 17:11

3dogsandarabbit · 14/08/2023 17:07

Sorry to disappoint you OP, but since the 1700s not one single person has died in the UK because of a tsunami.

so? I don't get your point - no UK tsunami in the last 300 years, that doesn't tell us anything about the next 300, or the next 3000, or the next 30 000 or even the next 3.

As I have said, they have happened before, and they will happen again.

OP posts:
Luckydog7 · 14/08/2023 17:11

We don't get ....

Forest/wild fires
No dangerous animals
Earth quakes /volcanos (as not on fault lines)
No very cold weather
No very hot weather
No hurricanes
No sink holes of any size
No insect plagues (locusts eyc)
No mosquitos/malaria
Minimal poisonous plants
We are an island so insulated from much illegal imigration compared to other countries so aren't forced to do an equal share of that aid.

I could probably think of more...

CloudyMcCloud · 14/08/2023 17:13

Nevermay · 14/08/2023 17:11

so? I don't get your point - no UK tsunami in the last 300 years, that doesn't tell us anything about the next 300, or the next 3000, or the next 30 000 or even the next 3.

As I have said, they have happened before, and they will happen again.

So you’re worried about 300 or 30,000 years away?

What are you doing about it other than posting threads worrying on mn

meatyryvita · 14/08/2023 17:14

Right but given that tsunamis are most often caused by volcanic or tectonic activity, we're not likely to be in a great danger tbh.

Vault687 · 14/08/2023 17:15

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

LlynTegid · 14/08/2023 17:15

And how many were affected by the 1953 floods? Or would have been had the 1987 hurricane been in the middle of the day?

WeetabixTowels · 14/08/2023 17:18

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

OP wants us to be outraged and commend her for her wonderful insight

IHateWasps · 14/08/2023 17:18

Is this the buffalo/bison obsessed poster?

Eleganz · 14/08/2023 17:19

Ensuring we are prepared for floods and storm damage is much more important imho.

awaytofrance · 14/08/2023 17:19

Nevermay · 14/08/2023 17:11

so? I don't get your point - no UK tsunami in the last 300 years, that doesn't tell us anything about the next 300, or the next 3000, or the next 30 000 or even the next 3.

As I have said, they have happened before, and they will happen again.

Do you have a point?

Something happening before doesn't mean it will happen again. Lots of things have happened that will never happen again.

But yes, it's possible that a tsunami will hit the UK tomorrow. It's also possible that aliens will land and we'll all be enslaved by lunchtime. Or the planet could blow up.
But all of these things are very very very very unlikely to happen.

What do you think any of us should DO about this extremely remote possiblity?

WeetabixTowels · 14/08/2023 17:19

Nevermay · 14/08/2023 17:11

so? I don't get your point - no UK tsunami in the last 300 years, that doesn't tell us anything about the next 300, or the next 3000, or the next 30 000 or even the next 3.

As I have said, they have happened before, and they will happen again.

We don’t get YOUR point. What do you want us to do about something that is so very unlikely to happen the chances are basically negligible?

Can we focus on things that ARE happening instead? Like our liberties are being stripped, or our planet is dying, or that children are starving. Not fret about a volcano that doesn’t exist.

lovewoola · 14/08/2023 17:22

I don't think the average person is going to worry about a once in a thousand yr super volcano or tsunami & I don't think that makes them naive

Singleandproud · 14/08/2023 17:24

The 1953 floods were terrible but significant flood protections have been put in place since then.
The biggest risks in the UK are floods, reservoir damage, coastal erosion, drought particularly in the East and wildfires on agricultural land more so than else where.
If you want a role preventing such disasters then join the Environment Agency but worrying about tsunami, meteorites or volcanic eruptions is pointless they happen rarely and if they did happen it would have a global impact that we simply can't plan for at this stage.

lovewoola · 14/08/2023 17:24

I don't get your point - no UK tsunami in the last 300 years, that doesn't tell us anything about the next 300, or the next 3000, or the next 30 000 or even the next 3.

we don't need to worry about the next 30 yrs as we will be dead.

lovewoola · 14/08/2023 17:24

300