St Jude's Storm

bristolvr3 said:

Thanks for your reply, LiquidSunshine.

As far as the storms are concerned, the general situation can worry me. Those hurricane force winds can be really noisy and scary, but that's nothing compared to those loud cracks of thunder. Those things are a bit like bomb explosions to me, especially if the storm is so close to my home. There was a time when a big thunderstorm affected my home town of Felixstowe, and a house located about a mile away got struck by lightning. As far as I know, no-one was seriously hurt.

You're welcome, bristolvr3! Yeah, I would imagine a lot of people, particularly with AS/autism are affected by the menacing sound to the noise of a storm. I hope nobody was hurt during that particular storm.

In my 1980s childhood, I would rely only on my television and home phone for things like latest news, entertainment etc. Today, my mobile phone, web tablet and laptop computer have rechargeable batteries, so if there was a power cut, I can still find some form of entertainment. If any power cut occurred during the day, there would still be some daylight. But if it happened in the evening or overnight, it would be scary, a bit like a horror film scene.

I don't know what the mobile phone reception is like in the Calderdale area (some of the most remote areas tend to have virtually no mobile phone signal at all), but if you could get the very best data tariff you could afford, you would be very well equipped for emergency situations like that. Some mobile phone companies do unlimited data plans, although some have 'fair use' data policies, which would restrict you to something like 3 gigabyte per month. Therefore, a wifi connection would be far more suitable for watching videos, if it was working. For general web browsing, 3G data would be fine.

The reception in Calderdale varies, depending on where you are. Where I am, it isn't good, but it doesn't bother me too much, and in any case, there's no chance our house getting flooded whatsoever; we're right on top of a hill! Thank you for the tips though! It's definitely a good thing getting prepared for various circumstances.

I do remember the storm of 1987. I was only half a mile away from the old people's home that lost its roof, and the fire engine that got hit, living in Mudeford near Christchurch in Dorset. I was lucky in only getting a bit of flashing damaged, as many houses round about had great bites out of their roofs after. But I do remember the storm and it was like all the tiles being lifted and dropped.

I grew up in Scotland and remember another infamous storm there, about 1967, when someone's wooden garage ended up on top of a group of beech trees for days after. And I was in Northampton in 1998 for the big flood there, coming back from a club at 2am in unbelievably heavy rain, water everywhere, but living on higher ground that wasn't submerged.

These events will happen but decades apart. They may become more frequent with cliimate change and indeed did so in the past. There are 17th and 18th century accounts of freak weather, one of the most interesting observers was William Stout, a Lancaster ironmonger, who recalls one night so cold thousands of birds fell to the ground dead. And apprentices left to guard the market stalls of their masters died in numbers that same night, because they had no protection.

Many people slept in attics up to early 20th century, that weren't sealed. There are stories of people wakling up after overnight blizzards to find themselves covered in snow that blew in at the eves.

We have the technology now both for better protection and preparation and to cope. Yet it must still be terrifying for many people because such events are still infrequent, and we haven't enough in our make-up, from limited experience, to get a perspective.

Thanks for your reply, LiquidSunshine.

As far as the storms are concerned, the general situation can worry me. Those hurricane force winds can be really noisy and scary, but that's nothing compared to those loud cracks of thunder. Those things are a bit like bomb explosions to me, especially if the storm is so close to my home. There was a time when a big thunderstorm affected my home town of Felixstowe, and a house located about a mile away got struck by lightning. As far as I know, no-one was seriously hurt.

In my 1980s childhood, I would rely only on my television and home phone for things like latest news, entertainment etc. Today, my mobile phone, web tablet and laptop computer have rechargeable batteries, so if there was a power cut, I can still find some form of entertainment. If any power cut occurred during the day, there would still be some daylight. But if it happened in the evening or overnight, it would be scary, a bit like a horror film scene.

I don't know what the mobile phone reception is like in the Calderdale area (some of the most remote areas tend to have virtually no mobile phone signal at all), but if you could get the very best data tariff you could afford, you would be very well equipped for emergency situations like that. Some mobile phone companies do unlimited data plans, although some have 'fair use' data policies, which would restrict you to something like 3 gigabyte per month. Therefore, a wifi connection would be far more suitable for watching videos, if it was working. For general web browsing, 3G data would be fine.

Hi bristolvr3,

I live in the Calderdale valley of Yorkshire, and have been here for about 2 years. You're absolutely right, it's definitely the hillier parts that get prone to flooding.

That's brilliant that you had your colleagues to support you and even took you home via car. It just goes to show that there are people out there who are genuinely well-meaning and were there to help you; that must have been a very nice environment to volunteer in. You absolutely did the right thing in making your health and safety top priority!

Is there any particular aspect about storms/powercuts that frighten you more than others, or is it the general situation? I'm a bit of a power junkie myself, so for me, the biggest fear is having the electricity going off or having a modem spiked and out of action. (Which happened once as the result of a storm)

Hello, LiquidSunshine.

Which area of the UK do you live in? Some of the more rural, hillier parts of areas such as Cornwall and Yorkshire are so prone to flooding, that one heavy burst of rain, with or without thunder, could cut off an entire village. 

I remember when, whilst doing my first voluntary job role in Ipswich, Suffolk, I was invited over to a nearby pub for lunch with my colleagues. Me and my colleagues walked to this pub (I do not drink alcohol, nor would I even attempt to do so), and just when I was enjoying my lunch, a massive thundery rain storm occurred. The pub's power system and lighting had to be shut down for safety reasons. I was scared at first, but my colleagues were there to support me. At the time, I would travel home by bus, but the ground conditions were so dangerous, that one of my colleagues took me home by car. I simply could not risk having my bus journey delayed or cancelled, especially if another storm occurred. Parts of Ipswich were flooded, but my home town of Felixstowe was not so badly affected. Even so, my health and safety in that kind of situation was top priority.

Good post, bristolvr3, and I appreciate your kind heartedness. My heart goes out to those who've been damaged in any way because of the storms.

I live in an area of the UK prone to floods; this time, we didn't receive the brunt of the weather conditions, but last year was just abysmal. The entire Summer of 2012, and only 7 hours of sunshine was recorded through it.

On a more positive note, I think storms and momentary power cuts can be very atmospheric. Last year I took a country walk with my mum, and the weather went from one extreme to the other: a warm and sunny April day, into thunder and lightning. I took shelter in a remote country shop I often visit to buy biscuits, and the power completely cut out in this small stone shop. It was very memorable, that's for sure! There's always been something thrilling about surviving the elements. (Only in moderation though!)

I agree thanks to modern communication and technology it does make it a lot less stressful to know exactly what is going on, and on the whole everything went as predicted, as I am in London and information given was that is would all blow over by 9am which it did.