UK counts the cost of devastating storm

Hundreds of flood warnings were in place across the United Kingdom on Monday and rail services were severely disrupted, as the country dealt with the continued impact of Storm Bert, which hit over the weekend.

Snow, high winds of up to 131 kilometers per hour, and torrential rain contributed to the deaths of at least three people, including in incidents of cars being hit by fallen trees and entering water.

Across England, there were 161 flood warnings — which means flooding is expected — and 213 flood alerts — which means flooding is possible.

Train travel, particularly in the southwest of the country, was also badly affected.

Two severe flood warnings, meaning there was a danger to life, were issued for the River Monnow in the southeast of Wales, where in several regions, houses had to be evacuated and thousands of people were told to boil their tap water before drinking it, following downpours for which it has been claimed insufficient warning was given by the authorities.

Landslides saw roads collapse in Northern Ireland, and on Monday the weather front moved up to Scotland, amid warnings that high winds could disrupt power supplies, before it was expected to move away from the mainland overnight.

In addition to structural damage, ITV News quoted aviation analytics company Cirium as saying that more than 300 flights from airports across the UK had been canceled because of high winds, with arrivals also disrupted because of cross-winds that had made landing difficult.

Amid the physical damage, it was in Wales that there has been the most anger at the failure to make adequate preparations for an anticipated weather event, with only a yellow warning being issued by forecasting bureau the Met Office, rather than the more serious amber or red.

The guidelines for what is covered by a yellow warning are imprecise, ranging from "weather (that) will cause some low-level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places" to "much more severe impacts to the majority of people, but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower".

"Storm Bert was well forecast, 48 hours in advance, with a number of warnings in place ahead of the system reaching the UK," said a Met Office spokesperson. "We work closely with partners to assess the potential risks of extreme weather, and the warnings covering Wales highlighted the potential for homes and businesses to flood with fast-flowing or deep flood water possible, causing a danger to life."

Chris Bryant, the Labour Party member of Parliament for one affected area, Rhondda and Ogmore, told Sky News some flood victims were likely to lose everything.

"A lot of people, especially when finances are really, really tough, the last bill they pay is probably the insurance bill," he said. "So, there are lots of people who will have lost everything. Now, I hope that the Welsh government will be able to step in with some kind of financial support."

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com