Five things every UoL student has thought about during storm Eunice

If there’s one thing British people can do, it’s talk about the weather. Be it hot or cold, wind or hail, you can guarantee that we’re going to have something to say about it. Being our favourite topic, you can imagine the absolute field day we’ve all had over the weekend with storm Eunice announcing her (very unwelcomed) presence on Friday, not long after storm Dudley.

Another thing about Brits is our ability to take nothing seriously. And of course, storm Eunice was not to be taken lightly, but that didn’t stop us from having a laugh about it. From skater boys using Ikea shopping bags to race down the streets to 200,000 people watching a man narrate planes as they landed at Heathrow airport, storm Eunice has kept us entertained as she took the UK – well – by storm.

For all the laughs Eunice has given, she’s also caused a lot of havoc. Needless to say, as Lincoln students, we’re accustomed to a breeze and light showers. Part of any university personality is going out without a jacket. But here are five things all Lincoln students thought about during Storm Eunice.

1. Is Cygnet Wharf going to flood (again)?

If you’ve never taken the time to look, you might have missed the fact that the ground floors of Cygnet Wharf are dangerously level with the Brayford whenever the water rises. While everyone from the first floor upwards can feel happy in the knowledge that they will not be victims of any unexpected flooding, ground floor occupants may be panicking a little about how their rooms will look with a few inches of water in them.

2. Will my roof blow off?

I’m not here to slander student housing, but I think we can all agree that bad weather is rarely something that we feel good about when living in these houses. As someone who lives on the top floor of their student house, I can tell you that I have never felt more exposed to the weather than I have this weekend. Every gust of wind sent a new wave of anxiety as I waited for the ceiling to disappear from the house. And whoever decided that skylights make for a nice way of adding more light to a room, has clearly never had to sleep underneath one amidst one of the worst storms in three decades.

3. Is Bull going ahead?

You repeatedly check the group chat to see if anyone is wavering on going out. “A little bit of wind won’t hurt,” you remind everyone as you watch another shopping bag fly by your window at speeds to rival that of Usain Bolt. Of course you still go, but you did not anticipate just how difficult it was going to be to get there. And to all the wonderful make up and hairstyles that were wasted on storm Eunice, you will be missed and soon forgotten.

4. What happens to the swans?

All Lincoln students both love and fear these elegant creatures in equal measure. So when storm Eunice hit, I’m sure many of us were left wondering, ‘but what about the swans?’. It’s a very valid question, and if my landlord allowed it, I would harbour all of Lincoln’s swans in my bathroom until Eunice passed.

5. Is JustEat still functioning or will I have to kayak to Maccies?

We’ve all contemplated how much time we would save if we could cross straight over the Brayford from any direction. Now that our Maccies order is on the line, it might be high time to test this theory. If JustEat and Deliveroo are unavailable, it’s time to search for friends who are willing to battle these stormy conditions.

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