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PLEASE SEND HELP! SOS!

I'm trapped.

Power is restored, but the nearest railway is blocked by a fallen tree, and the roads are blocked by fallen trees and landslides.

It'll take hours to clear away the debris.

If I'm lucky, they'll find my half-chewed body in the Spring.

Tell my family I love them, that I tried to do my best for my country, and I would like a 21 gun salute at my funeral...

Damn this storm!!!

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
PLEASE SEND HELP! SOS!

I'm trapped.

Power is restored, but the nearest railway is blocked by a fallen tree, and the roads are blocked by fallen trees and landslides.

It'll take hours to clear away the debris.

If I'm lucky, they'll find my half-chewed body in the Spring.

Tell my family I love them, that I tried to do my best for my country, and I would like a 21 gun salute at my funeral...

Damn this storm!!!

Sending positive vibes.

Many thanks. How's Northern Ireland holding up? You guys bore the brunt of it

 jhe90 wrote:


That's sad but what where people doing out in the storm? Why risk it?

Everyone had plenty of clear warnings to stay inside and avoid the roads. Im not victim blaming but there was a very good reason why they warned people, closed public transport and schools.

Hope it does not rise higher and people stay indoors. A few hours inconvenience is not worth dieing over.

Inexperience often plays a big part in things. If you've never really experienced a serious storm or other event you are far more likely to underestimate the potential dangers. Also the UK is pretty much save from weather/wildlife/nature - so its a lot harder for people to really appreciate those kinds of danger because its just not typically on their radar.

Coupled to that many people keep trying to live life as normal - when you get bad weather many people still drive exactly the same (esp if they are late); which is why often bad weather (esp ice) will have to many accidents. People don't want to crawl along or not go out; instead they push on (or are pushed on by things like work).

Also because UK weather is often not that dangerous we tend to get more borderline warnings about it. So if people have been out in "strong winds" before they are more likely to not take a more "serious" warning to heart. So they take a risk but under appreciate how big a risk they are really taking; and if they survive without any misshape chances are they'll risk it again next time as well.


Life is all about risk management and sometimes people get that wrong and wind up injured or dead (in the worst of cases).
Other times the risk is accepted - heck just getting into your car to go to work is a staggeringly dangerous thing to do in the modern world. Yet most people do it without a thought to the dangers. Many hobbies are often very dangerous and not even "essential to life". Horse riding - climbing - rafting - sailing - flying - rally driving - most contact sports.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 whembly wrote:
People are irrational in the storm...

That... was... EPIC!

The hero America deserves but not the one it needs right now.

 Overread wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:


That's sad but what where people doing out in the storm? Why risk it?

Everyone had plenty of clear warnings to stay inside and avoid the roads. Im not victim blaming but there was a very good reason why they warned people, closed public transport and schools.

Hope it does not rise higher and people stay indoors. A few hours inconvenience is not worth dieing over.

Inexperience often plays a big part in things. If you've never really experienced a serious storm or other event you are far more likely to underestimate the potential dangers. Also the UK is pretty much save from weather/wildlife/nature - so its a lot harder for people to really appreciate those kinds of danger because its just not typically on their radar.

Coupled to that many people keep trying to live life as normal - when you get bad weather many people still drive exactly the same (esp if they are late); which is why often bad weather (esp ice) will have to many accidents. People don't want to crawl along or not go out; instead they push on (or are pushed on by things like work).

Also because UK weather is often not that dangerous we tend to get more borderline warnings about it. So if people have been out in "strong winds" before they are more likely to not take a more "serious" warning to heart. So they take a risk but under appreciate how big a risk they are really taking; and if they survive without any misshape chances are they'll risk it again next time as well.


Life is all about risk management and sometimes people get that wrong and wind up injured or dead (in the worst of cases).
Other times the risk is accepted - heck just getting into your car to go to work is a staggeringly dangerous thing to do in the modern world. Yet most people do it without a thought to the dangers. Many hobbies are often very dangerous and not even "essential to life". Horse riding - climbing - rafting - sailing - flying - rally driving - most contact sports.

Well, the average number of road deaths in the UK is roughly 5 a day.... so, if only 2 people died on the roads during Ophelia it's actually well below the daily average.

Also sometimes trees fall over when the wind isn't all that bad. I don't know if that was the case here, but maybe when those people were in their cars the wind wasn't terrible but enough to bring down an already weakened tree. You occasionally read about someone getting crushed by a falling tree in comparatively mild storms.

Yea true, last time there was a big storm in the West country there were teenagers getting swept away by the waves whilst trying to take 'storm selfies' and stupid things like that.

I'm always afraid of the tiles coming off roofs as a knock on the head from one would certainly damage the mental faculties! A strong argument in favour of thatched roofs if ever there was one.

 Kroem wrote:
Yea true, last time there was a big storm in the West country there were teenagers getting swept away by the waves whilst trying to take 'storm selfies' and stupid things like that.

I'm always afraid of the tiles coming off roofs as a knock on the head from one would certainly damage the mental faculties! A strong argument in favour of thatched roofs if ever there was one.

Thatched roofs? In this weather?

If thatch comes off in a big enough chunk and hits you on the head - its likely to cause similar levels of brain damage/death.


The logical solution is Hobbit Homes!

How do you get a chunk of thatching? It's just bits of straw and reeds right?

Thatched roofs? In this weather?

Hell yea, not only is it warm and cosy but you don't kill people when your roof blows away (Not that I have ever seen a thatched roof blow away anyway, they are remarkably secure).





Automatically Appended Next Post:
Plenty of rain to stop this type of thing from happening as well :-p
http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/12873219.UPDATED_WITH_VIDEO__Historic_Chideock_pub_destroyed_after_chimney_fire/

 Kroem wrote:
How do you get a chunk of thatching? It's just bits of straw and reeds right?

Yes but its not loose - its bound together. As a result it could most certainly come off in a chunk/segment.

As for how well it does in general heavy winds I have to also admit I've never seen one blown off; but then again its such a rare type of roofing now; and typically only in the countryside is it used; that it might well be that it is vulnerable but that common knowledge of such is limited.

It can be a fantastic roofing material in terms of insulation! Both in retaining heat and in blocking out heat. The biggest risk of them is often fire, a less risk now as many homes don't have fire hearths; but its still an increased risk; though some modern chemical treatments might well make it a moot point.
The other aspect now is repeat costs - as its very niche the costs of thatch roofing are very high and even if you use reeds (which last longer) you've still got to repeat it every so many years.

In the towns maybe, but in the villages of Dorset and Somerset it is still frequently used.

In the village of Chideock mentioned in the article I linked above, about 30% of the buildings are thatched for example.

Most modern thatched houses that I've been in cheat by having a slate roof underneath though, with the thatching being more of an aesthetic choice :-P

Yes, there's plenty of thatched roofs in the west country, even right by the sea where you expect the worst winds, and around the Cotswolds, East Anglia, and Wiltshire.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Many thanks. How's Northern Ireland holding up? You guys bore the brunt of it

Well three people were killed, and the south got it pretty bad with power outages and the like. We got a few downed trees in my area. And I was nearly killed by a falling pipe but it could have been worse.

Expensive but I've yet seem a lead roof go flying easily and that is good with repairs for 100 years, maybe 200 if it s thicker material.

 Wyrmalla wrote:
Ophelia's a bit of an atypical name.

Not if you're a Danish Prince.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

 Wyrmalla wrote:
Ophelia's a bit of an atypical name.

Not if you're a Danish Prince.

Don't you mean Princess? Ophelia form Hamlet is a women!

If you're a Danish Prince, you'd have heard of women named "Ophelia"

 Overread wrote:
If thatch comes off in a big enough chunk and hits you on the head - its likely to cause similar levels of brain damage/death.


The logical solution is Hobbit Homes!

Yeah, until the flooding starts...

Safest home would be a monolithic dome structure built on an artificial hill, with the foundation well anchored inside of the hill. That will withstand pretty much everything nature could throw at it.
Also, round houses are totally awesome.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 Overread wrote:
If thatch comes off in a big enough chunk and hits you on the head - its likely to cause similar levels of brain damage/death.

The logical solution is Hobbit Homes!

Yeah, until the flooding starts...

Underground shelter under the garage. Also under the high water level for the home...

Of course, if the garage collapses, that's not so great either...

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 Overread wrote:
If thatch comes off in a big enough chunk and hits you on the head - its likely to cause similar levels of brain damage/death.


The logical solution is Hobbit Homes!

Yeah, until the flooding starts...

Safest home would be a monolithic dome structure built on an artificial hill, with the foundation well anchored inside of the hill. That will withstand pretty much everything nature could throw at it.
Also, round houses are totally awesome.

Hobbit domed. Atop a hill with a well planned external drainage system, storm shutters on outside.

Perfect.

Haha well at least that is a cheap way to get an indoor swimming pool...

My parents had a house on a hill once and they just opened the front and back doors and let the water run right through, take that weather!

 jhe90 wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 Overread wrote:
If thatch comes off in a big enough chunk and hits you on the head - its likely to cause similar levels of brain damage/death.


The logical solution is Hobbit Homes!

Yeah, until the flooding starts...

Safest home would be a monolithic dome structure built on an artificial hill, with the foundation well anchored inside of the hill. That will withstand pretty much everything nature could throw at it.
Also, round houses are totally awesome.

Hobbit domed. Atop a hill with a well planned external drainage system, storm shutters on outside.

Perfect.

No no. I can't believe I have to tell Brits this, but the best house is... A castle!

Have you seen the state of our castles recently? Shocking!
Planning permission to build one is probably the biggest reason we don't have one each. "The neighbours built a new tower, and it is blocking out our light", and "next-door's moat is attracting swans, and they are messing up our drive".

Frazzled wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 Overread wrote:
If thatch comes off in a big enough chunk and hits you on the head - its likely to cause similar levels of brain damage/death.


The logical solution is Hobbit Homes!

Yeah, until the flooding starts...

Safest home would be a monolithic dome structure built on an artificial hill, with the foundation well anchored inside of the hill. That will withstand pretty much everything nature could throw at it.
Also, round houses are totally awesome.

Hobbit domed. Atop a hill with a well planned external drainage system, storm shutters on outside.

Perfect.

No no. I can't believe I have to tell Brits this, but the best house is... A castle!

Skinnereal wrote:Have you seen the state of our castles recently? Shocking!
Planning permission to build one is probably the biggest reason we don't have one each. "The neighbours built a new tower, and it is blocking out our light", and "next-door's moat is attracting swans, and they are messing up our drive".

I know. I applied for a curtain wall and tower with secondary gatehouse. They said that putting a 8m stone wall next to the next door fence blocked light.

They even refused a trebuchet tower as it seemed threatening...

Planners these days...

 Skinnereal wrote:
Have you seen the state of our castles recently? Shocking!
Planning permission to build one is probably the biggest reason we don't have one each. "The neighbours built a new tower, and it is blocking out our light", and "next-door's moat is attracting swans, and they are messing up our drive".

I could see where that would be a problem.

 Kroem wrote:

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

 Wyrmalla wrote:
Ophelia's a bit of an atypical name.

Not if you're a Danish Prince.

Don't you mean Princess? Ophelia form Hamlet is a women!

She was a noblewoman, not a princess