storm and floods in GB - is everyone ok?

[DimesDan]

^There's been at least 3 or 4 times with countrywide heavy snow in the last 4 years though. It's becoming more common, of the top of my head, last winter was the first that we had none since 2008 and that's here in the Southwest. In the north obviously it's much more common.

I beg to differ. Here in Bath, we had a sizable amount of snow last winter, when I was in London/Surrey (Richmond to be exact) visiting the other halfs brother and sister in law, there was snow in mid Feb while we were there. As for snow this year, a few Sundays ago, we had a massive amount of snow fall in a very short period of time here and around the Mendips. Looking towards Bristol on the way to work though and talking to people coming in from there, it was obvious it had only affected higher ground. It's bloody cold looking out there now, but no snow, just lots of frost.

As for the recent floods, being on much higher ground, we're not likely to flood, although in town, the lower levels of the multistorey car park are still flooded and last Thursday when we had the worst of the down pours, the drains along the main road were backed up and it was like a river so was fun walking along the pavement as well as the Avon breaching it's banks at multiple points.

 

[JayOwl]

^Well I live in probably the mildest part of the country as far as temperature goes, I know there's been snow in other places. My point was, it's becoming much more frequent that once in ten years so really it is worth spending money to deal with it.

 

[MacLeod]

Still hard to justify tens if not hundreds of millions of pounds to protect/prepare against perhaps what amounts to a a couple of weeks worth of snow. After all you would have to provide it nationwide every year just in case.

Would it not be better to use that money on upgrading flood defenses? Which could be rolled out of the course of several years. So for example in 2013 BEdfordshire and Herefordshire have money spend on them and in 2014 Lancashire and Lanarkshire etc..

 

[JayOwl]

I agree that flood defenses are much more important, but every time there's a load of snow and the country stops running millions are lost anyway. Wouldn't it work out better in the long run?

 

[rhubarbodendron]

I'd do both, just in case. And if lives get saved, it's a good investment IMO.