By the time you read this I hope the vast majority of people who were affected by storm Arwen have their lives back on track. You may be struggling with storm Barra. They seem to be coming thick and fast this winter.
Apart from a few bushes blown down and some water in the garage, we were unaffected yet others have been much worse, with structural damage to property and services cut off for over a week. Some people still have not had their electricity restored.
The first time I went out after storm Arwen I was taken aback by the amount of damage. Being cocooned in my house I wasn’t aware of the large number of trees that had fallen, blocking roads, damaging buildings and taking down power lines. Many houses had been affected, with ridge tiles off, cladding stripped, gable ends falling down and sheds destroyed.
Yet a few days later much of the debris had been removed. Most roads were reopened almost immediately. A whole army of people appeared with trucks with yellow flashing lights and all the tools they needed to carry out the work.
While the private sector got on with restoring power and repairing private property, it was the public sector that got people moving again.
It is at times like this when we realise how much we rely upon public services. They do the things we all need to keep society going yet are often unseen, vital yet background tasks.
We may moan about the council tax we pay yet are more than happy to make use of their services when required. The storm proves, once again, that we need service providers available at all times to meet the needs of society. In my view these are best delivered by public sector providers.
Stay safe out there.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 