Wednesday, February 12, 2014

And Now the Storm-Blast Came, and He Was Tyrannous and Strong...

The weather worsened. The gale-force winds became hurricane-force winds. The rain came down heavier than ever. The storm hit Ireland first, then south-west England, then Wales. And then it went up the west coast. Occasional gusts of over 100mph/160kph.

Trains couldn't run. Bridges were closed. Football matches cancelled. Trees were taken down like nine-pins. A roof blew off a swimming pool - rather spectacularly. The flood waters continue to rise.

It snowed in Scotland and parts of northern England. Roads were impassable.

The advice was stay home unless you absolutely have to travel in cases of emergency.

I took the advice and I did indeed stay home. (Well almost home). I went to the cinema this afternoon. I saw the new Robocop. Waste of eight quid. The original was better. This one was a triumph of sentimentality and special effects over plot and good writing.

I came home and watched football on tv.

And news reports about the weather.

One reporter described the floods as "biblical". A touch hyperbolic I thought, but I got his point. If we were a stone-age community, unaware of life outside the British Isles, no news, no tv, no internet, no phones, maybe it would seem like the end of the world.

As it is, it's nasty for us, and it's devastating for those losing so much to the floods, but compared to the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, or the one in Japan a couple of years ago, or last year's in The Philippines, or Katrina, or almost any year in Bangladesh, it's pretty minor really.

You'd think, to look at the red-tops (tabloid newspapers), that Armageddon really was on the way. I haven't seen such hysteria in the headlines for quite a while.

Where ever you are, whatever your weather is like, stay safe. Good night and may your God/s go with you.


Ze

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