Stormy Weather Ahead - Safety Advice


When it's blowing up a storm, keep safe.

There’s wild and windy weather ahead. Don’t let your judgement be clouded when it comes to safety in and around our coastline.

Bad weather has already resulted in rock falls in the West Country and the cliff edges get particularly unsafe after the kind of rain we’ve had in places in the UK over the past 24 hours.

Ian Guy, duty maritime operations controller for HM Coastguard said: ‘We want everyone to have a good weekend at the coast and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t, despite the bad weather. The key to staying safe is preparation and following a few basic guidelines. In Cornwall, a rock fall has made part of the area at Whipsiderry Beach unsafe. If you come across a cordon anywhere near a beach, remember it’s there for a reason. Don’t ignore it.’  

Strong winds and heavy rain are forecast for the next few days so we’ve put together our top tips for keeping safe when the weather takes a turn for the worse. It’s easy to keep safe and look after yourselves and your families if you don’t take any unnecessary risks when it comes to safety. You’ll be helping the emergency services too.
o   If in doubt, don’t go out! Are the skies darkening? Is the wind picking up? Check the weather forecast before you set off and if it all looks bad it probably is. Postpone your plans and do something on dry land instead.

o   Check the local weather and tide times if you really do have to go out so you can be prepared www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast_and_sea/tide_tables

o   Windy coastlines and cliffside walks where the tide can easily cut you off are best avoided. Do not attempt to climb cliffs as a shortcut to the top, they are often crumbly and slippery, especially when the weather is bad.

o   Waves can be big and powerful enough in bad weather to knock adults, children and pets into the water and out to sea. Keep well back from the water’s edge or better still, stay dry at home!

o   Dramatic as it may look, huge waves crashing over quays, piers, cliffs and rocks are not the place for selfies and certainly not worth putting your life (or those of others) at risk.


o   If you do have to go out, take a mobile (make sure it’s got enough battery life), tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back.


Don’t take risks, but if you do get into trouble or see someone else in difficulty call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. 


Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua...
Read more

PRESTWICK SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICE LAUNCH MARKED IN CEREMONY

Image
- Prestwick search and rescue helicopter base set to go live in January - The launch of the Prestwick civilian UK search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service was marked today (Thursday 17 December 2015) in a ceremony held at the new Coastguard SAR base at Prestwick Airport. Bristow Helicopters Ltd is operating the search and rescue helicopter service for the UK on behalf of HM Coastguard. The UK limited company was awarded the ten-year UK SAR contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013, representing a £1.9bn investment by the UK Government in the UK’s search and rescue helicopter service. By 2017 the service will be delivered from ten bases in all, strategically located close to areas of high SAR incident rates. The Prestwick base will begin SAR operations when crews begin receiving taskings from the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) in January 2016. Bristow crews are delivering the UK SAR helicopter service on behalf of HM Coastguard with state-of-the-a...
Read more

BOSCASTLE FLOODS: TEN YEARS ON

Image
Boscastle Flooding 16 th August 2004 The storms of Monday 16 August 2004 saw three weeks worth of rain fall in one day. The resulting water began to be funnelled down the valleys surrounding Boscastle and soon the steep roads became rivers. By the time that the water reached the picturesque village, it had picked up enough momentum to become a raging torrent, sweeping into buildings, washing cars away and felling huge trees. Graham King runs the Witches Museum in Boscastle and was also the station officer for the Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team at the time of the floods: “ My museum is situated next to the harbour near the river ,” says Graham “ and I can see the coastguard equipment store from there. Initially I was concerned that the vehicle and equipment were going to become stranded but I soon began to realise how quickly the situation was deteriorating and called Falmouth Coastguard ” From that point on the villagers and tourists stranded in flood waters were he...
Read more