Mother Nature is a cruel mistress
‘It always rains in Britain’ has gone from being a harmless joke to a sinister recurrence quicker than you can say ‘where’s my brolly?’
It’s the line every holiday-maker reels off following a glorious holiday full of sunshine, beaches and most likely, a bucket full of alcohol. But as your plane home dips into the ever-present murky cloud line casting a dull grey shadow over ‘Great Britain’, you can’t help but resent the fact that you’ve swapped sunshine for showers and a t-shirt and shorts combo for a parka and wellies. “It’s not fair!’ you scream, and that’s not just because you’ve seen the queue at the customs gate. “Why is the weather here so crap?’ you cry as you stare out at the rain spattered windows and the grey, morose tarmac.
Given the events of the last few weeks, I’m sure many would bite your hand off for a light shower and a bit of grey. Because Storms Ciara, and particularly Dennis the Menace, have wreaked havoc over large swathes of land across the country, ruining businesses, disrupting travel and generally affecting the lives of thousands of helpless inhabitants.
Here is a snapshot of some of the devastation caused by Storm Dennis over the past weekend; according to the BBC over 1400 home and businesses have been affected, with more than 140 weather warnings still out for the rest of the week. More than one month’s rainfall has fallen within the space of a weekend; it’s visible from all the news coverage and photos taken like the one above. Approximately six of these are severe warnings, meaning a potential threat to life. And if you thought that was bad enough, this isn’t the end of the matter; more heavy rain is predicted across the rest of the week, most likely in the same already affected areas.
Now this isn’t the first time we’ve seen horrendous amounts of rainfall; the 2007 floods still reside in the memories of most, especially those who had to live through and experience the floods and the subsequent recovery. Most of us will have seen the classic news coverage of a reporter standing knee deep on a street that’s been swamped by a river that’s burst its banks. We also will all have seen interviews with distraught residents who have seen their properties and belongings ruined by a huge deluge, desperate for government aid and support to help with the recovery. One would think that these necessary preparations and defences would be in place to stop these events happening again, but is this the case?
Well, at first glance, it would appear not. Many of the same areas, like Shropshire, Herefordshire, the Peak District and more have suffered terrible floods on a number of occasions. These areas are known as susceptible points to the experts, suggesting that the effort and funding available should, and must, be invested here to protect these vulnerable areas. The government claims that money has been invested in these areas, totalling around £2.5 billion between 2015 and 2021, so it appears work is being done. But look! Shock horror, they’ve flooded again.
So what’s going on? Well, I’m no meteorologist but here’s what I think.
Let’s go back to the government funding on flood defences. While he was Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn raised the point that money was being invested in flood defences, but possibly not in the places where it is needed most. He argued that the spending ‘heavily favours London and the south-east of England’ and there is evidence to support this claim. Research and analysis compiled in 2017 put forward that on average, funding-per-head on flood defences was indeed highest in London and the South-east, at a price of £116 to £180 per head. Whereas on the other end of the spectrum, the West Midlands (which suffered the most so far this year) has an average spend of £14 per-head. Now of course, before we raise an army with pitchforks and start a march on Whitehall, it must be stressed that this research was completed in 2017 so these figures may well be different today, but it is an interesting point nonetheless. It isn’t something that’s going to reassure residents in the worst affected areas of the country.
But there is also an elephant in the room that needs highlighting; climate change and the affect that it will have on our weather. There have been so many warnings and predictions that have been made, but maybe it’s time to listen. If we continue with our current lifestyles and contribute further to global warming, a by product of this will be a worsening of our weather and more frequent strong storms and heavy rain will become commonplace. Again, this isn’t something that’s going to lighten the spirits of already disheartened residents.
So next time you find yourself moaning about the weather following your lovely holiday, spare a thought for those who are now beginning to live in annual fear that Mother Nature will once again empty her bath water over the country. Who knows, your flight might even be a direct contributor to their plight. After all, very soon we may all find ourselves in the same boat.
