The UK is suffering landslips and devastating floods in which a bridge was washed away – leading us to ask, was there a failure to give enough warning about Storm Bert?
The BBC is reporting anger in south Wales, where the Met Office is facing heavy criticism for issuing weak flood warnings, too late for enough preparation to be made. The report states:
The Met Office said it would conduct a “full assessment” but that the storm was “well forecast” in advance “with a number of warnings in place”.
Simon Brown, services director at the Met Office, added:
“The warnings covering Wales highlighted the potential for homes and businesses to flood with fast flowing or deep floodwater was possible, causing a danger to life.“
Was there insufficient warning? Well: This Writer knew Storm Bert was coming, I knew there would be heavy rain and I knew it would create huge problems.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
What I question is whether the warnings were sufficiently serious and whether the organisations that exist to protect us from the harm and disruption caused by such weather phenomena took action that was fast and/or appropriate enough.
I’m hearing that any successes in keeping floodwater back were due more to the efforts of local residents than the authorities – who have then tried to gaslight those people into thinking that official flood protection measures were adequate.
The most common complaint is that lessons were not learned after devastation was caused by Storm Dennis, back in 2020.
Well, here’s a thing: climate change has increased very much since 2020. You can see it in the way the polar ice caps have melted back. That water had to go somewhere and this means the severity of storms is increasing.
Wales’s First Minister, Eluned Morgan, acknowledged this:
Climate change was “clearly making a difference in the severity and the frequency of these weather events”, she said.
“There will come a point when it will be too difficult to protect every home in the country, but clearly we want to put the support in place if we’re able to do that,” she said.
Another element that makes it harder to protect homes is the fact that developers keep building them on flood plains, of course. The former Tory government was keen to force local authorities into allowing this, in desperation to be seen to be building accommodation for people who need it.
Funding for flood defences has increased, but with global water levels rising and homes being built in places where they are guaranteed to flood, householders and businesses are certain to suffer.
Politicians’ claims that they are doing enough are clearly false; not necessarily lies, but they certainly seem to be deluding themselves about the measures that have been brought in – and what needs to be done in the future.
I wonder whether anybody has even bothered to look at what has been done in foreign countries. The so-called Low Countries – including The Netherlands, for example – have had to cope with the threat of floodwater as a matter of course. How do they do it and why are we not following their example?
Additional: I’m seeing confirmation of what I’m saying in the BBC coverage of the floods. People are saying a co-ordinated approach has been required over a period of years, that planning must include climate change, and that building on flood plains, with hard surfaces that contribute to water run-off is irresponsible.
I’m not saying anything revolutionary here. The problem is that the people with authority to take action simply aren’t acting appropriately.
Maybe a few senior heads need to roll.
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Was there a failure to give enough warning about Storm Bert?
The UK is suffering landslips and devastating floods in which a bridge was washed away – leading us to ask, was there a failure to give enough warning about Storm Bert?
The BBC is reporting anger in south Wales, where the Met Office is facing heavy criticism for issuing weak flood warnings, too late for enough preparation to be made. The report states:
Simon Brown, services director at the Met Office, added:
Was there insufficient warning? Well: This Writer knew Storm Bert was coming, I knew there would be heavy rain and I knew it would create huge problems.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
What I question is whether the warnings were sufficiently serious and whether the organisations that exist to protect us from the harm and disruption caused by such weather phenomena took action that was fast and/or appropriate enough.
I’m hearing that any successes in keeping floodwater back were due more to the efforts of local residents than the authorities – who have then tried to gaslight those people into thinking that official flood protection measures were adequate.
The most common complaint is that lessons were not learned after devastation was caused by Storm Dennis, back in 2020.
Well, here’s a thing: climate change has increased very much since 2020. You can see it in the way the polar ice caps have melted back. That water had to go somewhere and this means the severity of storms is increasing.
Wales’s First Minister, Eluned Morgan, acknowledged this:
Another element that makes it harder to protect homes is the fact that developers keep building them on flood plains, of course. The former Tory government was keen to force local authorities into allowing this, in desperation to be seen to be building accommodation for people who need it.
Funding for flood defences has increased, but with global water levels rising and homes being built in places where they are guaranteed to flood, householders and businesses are certain to suffer.
Politicians’ claims that they are doing enough are clearly false; not necessarily lies, but they certainly seem to be deluding themselves about the measures that have been brought in – and what needs to be done in the future.
I wonder whether anybody has even bothered to look at what has been done in foreign countries. The so-called Low Countries – including The Netherlands, for example – have had to cope with the threat of floodwater as a matter of course. How do they do it and why are we not following their example?
Additional: I’m seeing confirmation of what I’m saying in the BBC coverage of the floods. People are saying a co-ordinated approach has been required over a period of years, that planning must include climate change, and that building on flood plains, with hard surfaces that contribute to water run-off is irresponsible.
I’m not saying anything revolutionary here. The problem is that the people with authority to take action simply aren’t acting appropriately.
Maybe a few senior heads need to roll.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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