For a year or so now we have been working on the principle that the world we live in is crazy. The American military has a more rational term for it. VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.
Last weekend this VUCA world descended upon my home town of Lancaster and my home in the beautiful Lakeland village of Grasmere. Storm Desmond deposited almost a foot of water, four weeks rainfall, in two days on the North-West of England. 60,000 homes were without power for five days. Grasmere village was two feet under water. Fast flowing rivers burst their banks and the one road through the Lakes was closed. Kendal and Keswick were closed off completely. The road to my Grasmere home was battered and impassable. Many residents were isolated as bridges were destroyed and many others were evacuated to community-run care centres. The damage to homes, local businesses, the environment and to peoples’ morale is enormous. Christmas will have to be postponed until 2016 for many.
Weather patterns are becoming more extreme every day. Whilst the world’s top brass meet in Paris to discuss climate change, Rome may not be burning, but the Lake District is flooding.
An appeal has been launched to raise funds to support those throughout Cumbria devastated by the flooding and storms. Please help by donating here.
