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Beast of the East striking London taken from police helicopter
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First, let me explain what a blizzard is. A blizzard is a severe storm that produces a large amount of falling and/or blowing snow that lowers visibility for long periods of time (Keller 311). In the UK's case, two blizzards hit them causing death and destruction.
The blizzards produced 50cm of snow and temperatures plunged. This caused the Met Office to issue a red warning, meaning "Widespread damage, travel and power disruption and risk to life is likely" (Guardian). But thousands of drivers ignored the warnings and were stranded on the roads. (The Guardian) I was not able to find an exact number of people that died or were injured due to the blizzards but The Guardian article lists a few of the victims. Some of the victims include a 7-year-old girl who was hit by a car, a van driver in a collision, and two teenage boys who were injured due to being getting stuck under a fallen tree.
Emergency services tried to clear heavy snow and cars that broke down or crashed. The Environment Agency as issued flood warnings for parts of Cornwall's south coast. In Lincolnshire, local authorities enlisted the help of ten RAF vehicles to transport doctors and patients. All the trains, thousands of school and hospital operations and, hundreds of flights were cancelled. (Guardian)
I have provided two videos. The first one was shot by the National Police Air Service in London and provides an aerial view of the Beast of the East. The second video is from The Guardian and shows the storm from a ground view.
Keller, Edward A., et al. Natural Hazards, Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes. Fourth Edition. 20
Hi I really enjoyed reading your blog this week. The picture and videos helped catch my attention and want to read on. The video of all the cars covered in snow was a crazy sight to see. Good job on how you incorporated the textbook into your post.
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