DAY three of the so-called Beast from the East and Storm Emma and still Scotland struggles to cope with the impact of snow, wind and freezing temperatures. For the last few days in this leader column, The Herald has raised the concerns of many over what is self evidently Scotland’s planning unpreparedness when it comes to coping with the problems caused by the adverse weather. The same it would appear equally applies elsewhere in the UK.
Today we make no apologies for continuing that scrutiny given the prevailing conditions and the response failures they continue to throw up. Admittedly the blizzard conditions of the last few days have few precedents and are certainly among the worst since the big freeze of 1963.
No one doubts that the logistical problems are monumental when confronted with such a sustained and intense period of snow, wind and bitter cold. A Met Office yellow Be Aware warning remains in place until at least midnight today, but even with this easing of conditions, Scotland continues to reel under the effects of the storm. While it’s to be expected that in more remote and rural communities it can take time to clear access and create a degree of functioning normality with regard to roads, transport services and public facilities, it is lamentable that Scotland’s major cities and economic hubs remain semi-paralysed in parts after three whole days.
This slowness to recover, even in the very heart of cities where resources and infrastructural capacity is on the doorstep, is proof yet again that logistical planning and coordination leave much to be desired. How can it be that main rail links between Scotland’s major cities can be disrupted for so long or that supermarket shelves become depleted so quickly? Who is responsible for minimising such negative impacts and where is the Plan B when Plan A grinds to a halt?
In fairness credit must go where credit is due and in this regard frontline emergency services from police, fire, ambulance, NHS staff and council workers have performed above and beyond in the most challenging of circumstances.
It would be churlish, too, not to acknowledge the commitment shown by the Scottish Government’s Transport Minister Humza Yousaf.
Mr Yousaf is right to insist in having “conversations” with certain employers who brought pressure on employees to travel to work.
He is correct, too, in taking haulage firms to task over the numbers of heavy goods vehicles on the roads that caused major problems while carrying loads and making deliveries that were far from essential.
In marked contrast to the sense of community spirit that saw neighbours helping each other, so much of what went wrong especially on our roads also had much to do with the failings of individual citizens to heed warnings and behave responsibly.
But it is the bigger and systemic failures that should be our greatest concern. In this regard aspects of the Scottish Government’s response throughout the crisis has had more to do with simply “urging” others to heed warnings, rather than recognising that planning inadequacies were involved.
Politicians can’t control the weather, of course, but they can certainly frame our response to it. Across the UK austerity driven budgets that have seriously hampered local councils are in part to blame, but all the more reason then for having as advanced and coordinated planning as possible when faced with such resource constraints.
If the last few days have taught us anything it’s that there must be no room for complacency. While the clearing up operation continues the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room remains busy for now.
But as the thaw sets in and Scotland picks up momentum again, the lessons of the last few days need to be heeded. Failings need to be addressed, for while the weather might be unpredictable, we all know for certain that there will be a next time.
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