Natural disasters in the UK

[Nevermay]

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.....)

Of course it only takes a volcano erupting in Indonesia to cause a year of winter in Europe and America (1816). People died, livestock died. The human race hasn't been wiped out yet though .

Why worry about something that we have no control over?

Unsure if OP is referring to Campi Flegrei (phleagrean fields) which is partially under the Bay of Naples or Yellowstone. Wouldn’t say we’re directly in the firing line of either but I’m aware a tabloid has run story on the former recently.

@TiredCatLady thank you! Yeah I wouldn't say we are either but that must be it. I forgot about that article.

Most people have the correct amount of concern about natural disasters, people who live in the shadow of an active volcano will have much more concern about being killed if the volcano erupts than those who live thousands of miles away.

In the last 100 years wars, cancer, old age, traffic collisions have all been much bigger killers than natural disasters in the UK, hence why I believe we have the correct amount of concern, not much.

Alas, I have never taught geography, so what do I know?

Unsure if OP is referring to Campi Flegrei (phleagrean fields) which is partially under the Bay of Naples or Yellowstone. Wouldn’t say we’re directly in the firing line of either but I’m aware a tabloid has run story on the former recently.

That explains much.

Far more immediate concerns in the UK at present are increasing problems with flooding (and cynical developers continuing to build their huge estates right on top of major flood plains), rising sea levels and the erosion of the North Sea coast, particularly in East Yorkshire. The sea has already breached Spurn Head which is now completely cut off at high tide.

We'll also have significant problems if the Gulf Stream happens to dissipate. If radical action is not taken soon this seems a far more likely prospect than an imminent pyroclastic eruption capable of wiping out most of the species on the planet.

Take comfort, OP ...

Well, I for one am going to start running around like my hair is on fire shouting the end is nigh. Is that better?

Which UK volcano do you think is likely to erupt? Edinburgh?

I don’t know what your grasp of history is like, but 40000 years ago Neanderthals lived among us. I am not going to lose sleep about something that last happened that long ago, and might, or might not, happen in another 30000 years when our current civilisation will be long gone.

Why aren’t you worried about another Permian Extinction event? Or an ice age? Or the magnetic poles flipping? Or the heat death of the universe? Surely just as likely to impact you or anyone you know or are related to, as the UK being hit by a freak tsunami.

This thread is weird as fuck.

the UK could have a devastating natural disaster, and I had assumed that everyone educated would realise that it could, however, apparently not

NOBODY has said a devastating natural disaster CAN'T happen in the UK (volcanic eruption aside). People are simply saying it is highly unlikely.

I mean, you keep saying (with conviction I might add) that it WILL happen.... erm, nobody can possibly know that!

no, as I said, what I am telling you is true, long standing truths, well known facts, and I am not "doubling down" I am just stating these facts separately from the thread discussing asylum seekers

Absolutely nothing new or novel about this, but then I am older than most posters , and come from an age where these things were widely known and discussed, and we all knew the old adage " everyone will be a refugee if they live long enough"

I am surprised at the lack of knowledge and understanding shown on the previous thread, hence this thread.

super volcanoes will blow though! They will! we just don't know when, this year, next year, next millennium, next 10 000 years - or 50 000.

We do know the UK will be destroyed eventually, one way or another

I am not saying it will happen now, just that it might

We do know it is only pure chance that no populated areas have suffered a major meteorite strike, and we do know it will happen eventually, we just don't know when, so again, I am not saying it will happen this year, I am just saying you cant be certain it won't.

etc etc etc

I am trying to get the point across that we are not immune from needing to flee our home country; some posters seem to think we are, and worse, seem to think that it is due to some sort of entitlement or superiority.

Maybe you should have simply go with realistic politocal and economical collapse instead of Amazon Prime low budget ideas so it doesn't sound like deranged rumbling. 🤷
The regugees are not running from meteorites either

The biggest threat to us is a volcanic collapse or implosion by Tenerife - we could lose anything less than 100ft above sea level by a conservative estimate ( worst case scenario, would be much worse than this)

as I said, this is quite basic, and was in geography GCSE last time I taught it ( not sure exactly when, but within the last decade)

Yes, there are plenty of reasons UK families could find themselves refugees, as I said, people are just picking on some of the reasons I gave.

no, what would be better is the population showing a bit more empathy shown to refugees, and the understanding that is could be us.

Perhaps you ought to look into counselling. This level of anxiety about things that will likely not happen in your lifetime isn’t normal.

Again, I’m concerned that you apparently taught geography. Cumbre Vieja is on La Palma not Tenerife. The instantaneous wave ‘could’ be 100m high and that’s the nearby islands. Wave height elsewhere would be different depending on things like the slope of the continental shelf and wave refraction. We would not “lose anything below 100ft by a conservative estimate”. That simply isn’t how tsunami work and as soon as they hit they start to lose energy which limits their extent, even with multiple waves.

When was the last time a populated place suffered a major meteorite strike ?

Op isn’t anxious. Nothing she has said screams sleepless nights worrying about volcanoes, or breaking out in a sweat thinking about meteors. She said this

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

She’s right in a way, natural disasters do seem a bit ridiculous in the U.K. although some are perfectly possible. I just disagree we need to give it any headspace.

I don’t think labelling everyone who has thoughts about something worrying in theory as ‘anxious and in need of therapy’ is helpful. It’s quite patronising in fact.

We absolutely do NOT know that that those things absolutely WILL happen though do we??

How can we possibly know with such certainty??

Geography, your specialist subject that you keep banging on about only tells us that they COULD happen.......

Statisticians may be able to predict the likelihood and estimated time period.

But that's still all speculative.

NOBODY can say with absolute certainty that those natural disasters, to the extant that they would impact the UK, 100% WILL happen.

So stop saying it, because you're making yourself look like a deranged fool.

I am not remotely anxious, what gives you the impression that I am? I am just pointing out that we do not live under some sort of magic dome of protection, and anything we despise refugees for could also happen to us.

we do know these things will happen eventually, we just don't know where or when. Could be in the UK next week.

Calling me a "deranged fool" says a lot more about you than me

You are using wrong examples. None of the people croasing are crossimg because earthquake or super volcano. If you wamt people to relate you need to do realiatic and comparable issues.
Btw climate change refugee is actually not a thing yet legally, but there are very interesting articles on why we all need to move the laws forward. Eg disappearing islands etc.

My mum comes from a country where they get regular earthquakes, had a huge tsunami killing close to 20,000 just over a decade ago, yearly deadly typhoons, volcanic eruptions… from a natural disaster point of view, the UK is very peaceful. It’s one of the reasons I like living here.