Sometimes I just shake my head in despair
- Thread starter British Red
- Start date
Of course not - but it doesn't say "rush out and panic buy". That supermarket is stripped bare - which means that some people are not getting what they need. If individuals took a little more personal accountability and thought "Winter is coming - might be an idea to keep a few extra bits in the cupboard / freezer in case of snow / being poorly / the local supermarket being unable to resupply, storms or whatever, then these things wouldn't happen. Its like the guy whose kids hadn't had a hot meal in three days - why did he not just buy a barbecue or
picnic stove or whatever. Heck in the "Winter of discontent" everyone had lanterns, candles and picnic stoves. Now if a few roads are closed for a couple of days its a crisis.
I would - if they left it to the day before the hurricane to create that bag and then there were no bags left in the shops.
I don't criticise people for getting some food in because its Winter and its going to snow - but I do criticise them for being surprised about it snowing in Winter and not preparing but acting at the last minute.
i must be old , never had a fridge nevermind a frezer .if my mother wanted something i walked to the shop and got it
BR the supermarket sold out of *fresh* fruit and veg, not store cupboard stuff; simply the foods that folks want fresh, daily, if possible.
If he lived in a block of flats the last thing on his mind would be to light any open fire in the middle of his home, so that totally rules out bbq stuff.
cheers,
M
If he lived in a block of flats the last thing on his mind would be to light any open fire in the middle of his home, so that totally rules out bbq stuff.
cheers,
M
I just brought a friend of mine a new fridge, should have seen his face light up when he opened it.
To be fair that picture looks like its from the store some relatives shop (Culverhouse Cross branch) at, and they go shopping every Friday afternoon, regular as clockwork. As they did today, and they said they not had any problems in getting what they want (inc 2 loaves), and with little hassle. So not quite sure where the panic was.
I agree with a lot of what you say... especially the bit about needing to make sure elderly relatives have enough for a few days... because you know that even if you can get through the weather to her, you can't be sure the road won't be bocked by a jack-knifed Mother's Pride lorry...
I lived in New Jersey for seven years; before that, I lived in Paris; before that I lived in a few places in England (but always the Peak District or Geordieland), and have spent the winter in Moscow and St. Petersburg... The difference in how these places prepare is vast, and it all comes down to cost-benefit analysis.
In NJ, we could get a 30cm fall of snow overnight... Schools would close for a day or maybe two, but the town council would put snowploughs on the front of the bin lorries, send out gritters as the snow was falling, and the main roads would stay clear. Side roads would be clear by noon the next day, and even if we had two more inches every night for a week those roads would stay clear. However, the weight of snow would pull down branches or even whole trees, pulling down electricity cables, and so it was not rare to be without power for at least a couple of days, often up to a week, sometimes for two weeks. And this, within 26km of Central Park, NYC. Those snow-clearing machines got used every winter, several times each year, and could be used in the autumn for clearing fallen leaves. But PSE&G (Gas and Electricity) found it more cost effective to keep the power lines strung up on poles and patch them up all the time, rather than bury them underground.
In Moscow, the roads were cleared fairly quickly, and out of town too, and sand strewn where the roads would not be cleared... No point in putting out salt, as even the salt would not melt snow or ice below at the temperatures we got.
In Paris, it's much like where I grew up... Once in a blue moon, there is some snow. It tends to melt the next day or within a few days. It is far too expensive to lay in all the machinery to keep roads clear.
On the other hand, in the hill towns around Grenoble (where I lived for a while, too), the infrastructure is there, and the roads are kept clear.
Add to this the fact that there are a whole load of people in England and in France who only see snow when watching the Winter Olympics, and you can easily understand why they have absolutely no idea of how to drive or even walk around in the stuff....
But I have to add to this that the weather "advisories" stink to high heaven of CYA-isms... CYA is Cover Your bottom, i.e., deliberately exaggerate how dangerous a situation is likely to be in the hope that nobody will attempt a trip that will leave the weather forecaster or news broadcaster open to a law suit for damage or injury sustained...
So we have forecasts for "ossem gusts of wind of up to as much as 100mph and surge floods of as much as up to 9ft in some areas"... which in reality means sustained moderate winds with a few strong gusts and a bit of heavy rain... but at least if anybody drowns in that, the Weather Channel cannot be sued because Mr. Brown decided to go and take some photos down at the Jersey Shore.
The same has been happening in the UK for some time. Now, 4cm of predicted snowfall results in dire warnings of entire counties being cut off; motorists who have forgotten (or who never learned) how to drive in snow are warned to make only "essential journeys".
I would rather see announcements like "look, it's going to snow... we expect around 2cm tonight followed by another 2cm tomorrow, so go out and practice your snow techniques tonight, but stay within half a mile of home so you can walk back if you prang your Mondeo... Oh, and make sure you have some Capri Suns and Mars Bars in the pockets of your 3/4 length car coat before you set off..."
You could be right Jared, I was responding to the line in the linked article
Thats what I mean about "panic buying". Could be press making a mountain out of a molehill, but, to me, having enough stuff in the house to get through a storm over Winter is just common sense in case you are snowed in, laid up with flu or whatever.
A "crazy stampede" is just a sign that people no longer take any personal responsibility for planning for any adverse conditions.
Anyway, I've said my piece, I think life is like a Bushcraft trip - you take some basic precautions and you don't trust that someone else has the map!
Thats what I mean about "panic buying". Could be press making a mountain out of a molehill, but, to me, having enough stuff in the house to get through a storm over Winter is just common sense in case you are snowed in, laid up with flu or whatever.
A "crazy stampede" is just a sign that people no longer take any personal responsibility for planning for any adverse conditions.
Anyway, I've said my piece, I think life is like a Bushcraft trip - you take some basic precautions and you don't trust that someone else has the map!
cos next door would
thieve our food if we left it outside
Next door ain't got the minerals to leave his house after our last erm..... Conversation?.... Yeah, let's go with conversation
Yeah they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. Add to that they really don't know with 100% certainty just what's going to happen. So prudence demands that they give you the worst case scenario. Doesn't mean that you're neccessarily going to get the worst case; but it is possible and you should be prepared for it.
The reverse of that coin is that after so many false alarms people start to ignore them.
I agree with you Red. Sadly though we have some (many actually) who do just that. Or worse; I've seen people stocking up on frozen foods without even thinking how they would keep their freezer running without elactricity.
Believe it or not, that's not cold enough to freeze all foods. According to the FDA chicken isn't safely frozen until below 28f (about -2.2c)
Anything above -18 ruins my homemade icecream.
The government has said anyone travelling should take 24 hours worth of food and drink, sleeping bag, spare hat and jacket, rock salt, shovel, de-icer and a torch, my mate said he looked a right idiot getting on the bus to work with that lot.
Last edited:
Buy a yoghurt maker
So long as the electrickery is on mine runs fine You can do it in a thermos flask too though.
Hear ? we've got light snow falling might go and pick up some extra milk.
cheers,
M
So long as the electrickery is on mine runs fine
You can do it in a thermos flask too though.Hear ? we've got light snow falling
might go and pick up some extra milk.cheers,
M
3" or so on the ground here. Just in from doing the weekly shop at a well-stocked & deserted (by Sat. am standards) Tesco.
Don't think we do too bad in the UK. On a visit to Carmel, California, it was surprising that the electricity was still out several days after the tail of a Typhoon brushed the area. We seem to get the power back on as soon as humanly possible and I have the utmost admiration for those handling "hot" cables in a gale etc.
As to the panic buying pic, I also think it was probably more the effect of re-supply lorries not turning up.
As to the panic buying pic, I also think it was probably more the effect of re-supply lorries not turning up.
Got my yogurt, Tesco full to the brim with stock. Popped into Iceland which is smack in the town centre and they had sold out of bread and milk. Buses are running, taxi's and trains too, looks like the weather warnings were well heeded and the planning and preparations have paid off with just a day of disruption.
