The floods and severe weather that was forecast for yesterday evening has not arrived. Yes the sea in coastal areas has been higher 
than usual on the west coast. Yes some areas in Cornwall and North Wales have seen the sea on the promenade today.
No there have not been the catastrophic floods and devastating scenes that the weathermen had predicted.
Whilst I do feel for anyone in these coastal areas that is worried about the seasonal high tides being coupled with high winds and extra rain possibly leading to flooding there are a few things that I would ask anyone to bear in mind.
The first is that the weathermen are likely to REALLY emphasise any potential weather that may result in flooding. They were heavily criticised by virtually everyone last year for NOT emphasising the risk sufficiently, so any potential risk will now have far more attention paid to it, and subsequently the portents of doom will be so much the greater. Secondly - coastal regions at this time of year (particularly on the West Coast) see much higher tides. It is the beginning of the spring swell that happens every year. Finally, coastal dwellers choose to live by the sea. When the weather is favourable we are all jealous - when it is severely inclement we are happy to be inland.
Clearly I am not saying that anyone on the West Coast should be ignored, but the sea is omnipresent in these people’s lives and they
already know that they cannot fight the sea (just ask a fisherman) - and they know how to live with it. The TV interviewers are struggling to find locals who are seriously concerned about the warnings that the weathermen are giving. There is a reason for that.
These people are NOT seriously concerned. Sure - they are making all the preparations that they can, but ultimately they know that the sea will decide - not the sandbags.
Additionally, it should be noted that virtually all of the still images are coming from one agency who managed to get dramatic waves crashing over the sea wall in the welsh town of Treddur. The reason that this is the predominant image is that (reportedly) other agencies are struggling to find the degree of weather that news companies are prepared to pay for. Simply put - the weather just isn’t bad enough in the pictures!
Anyone who is reading this and is concerned about the potential for flooding is encouraged to call the Environment Agency on
0845 988 1188
and they will be able to give the most up to date information for your area. Please - if you are in an ‘affected’ area then be safe and remember that my cynicism is not an excuse for your inaction.
I have run out of coffee - fancy buying me one? Tags: Agency, Anyone, area, attention, beginning, cannot, coast, Cornwall, cynicism, date, degree, doom, emphasise, Environment, evening, everyone, excuse, fight, fisherman, flooding, image, inaction, inclement, information, mind, news, North Wales, NOT, potential, predominant, promenade, rain, REALLY, reason, sea, spring, swell, time, today, town, Treddur, UK, weather, weathermen, Welsh, west, West Coast, whilst, year, yesterday
Related posts
