As we braced ourselves for storms last night it was difficult to know if it was just a precautionary measure or a sign chaos would unravel. Judging by the news and travel traumas this morning, it seems to be the latter.
My morning was reminiscent of an episode of Chuckle Brothers, with a ‘to me, to you’ moment as we removed the missing half of our shed roof from the road. We then had to empty the shed’s contents into the garage amid fears of a downpour soaking its contents.
Blowing the roof off
When I was woken early by the gusts of wind I decided to take a peek to see if we’d endured any damage. I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw half the shed roof missing (and nowhere to be seen).
My first fear was that it might have hit someone or someone else’s property. Relieved to find that wasn’t the case, I’m just pleased it caused no further damage. And compared to some of the damage being reported on the news, we certainly got off lightly.
Our house is only a few months old and we still technically live on a builders site. I’ll be having a word with the trades people on site to see whether anyone can repair and replace our missing roof. I’m hoping that, as we’re such early stages of moving in, they’ll realise our roof wasn’t secured properly – particularly as the rest of the road’s roofs appear to be intact. But if you’ve been seriously affected by the storms, you’re likely to need to claim on your insurance.
Train cancellations as trees block lines
While the structural disruption can cause big headaches, travel chaos may also be making your day rather challenging.
In the case of bad weather, Network Rail and the train companies have to agree that the weather is ‘exceptionally severe’. If other modes of transport have been badly affected, this is the conclusion they’ll most likely come to.
If the weather is deemed exception sever, the theory is that train companies don’t have to compensate you. However, many will be offering goodwill gestures, such as letting you use your train tickets the following day – as is the case with my local train company.
Have the storms affected you, your property or your plans today? We’re keen to hear from you and will point you to the relevant help and advice to get you through the day.
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