Storm Desmond brought out the best in people

How often do we watch natural disasters unfold on television, inured as we are to crisis in our rapidly changing, climatically unpredictable, planet.

But what happened (is happening) right here, proves we can take nothing for granted. Heat, power, roads, food - all the elements we presume will be there as we undertake our daily lives can be swept away, literally, when the floodwaters come. And get swept away they did. But as Storm Desmond took away the basics for thousands of people, it washed away the things we have come to rely on and underneath were the things we actually need and maybe forget are there.

As the rain came down, the absolutely amazing people came out. People came together in ways that, as a society, we sometimes forget we can. People helped each other, they rescued each other, they fed each other and they cared. Social media helped this process of course but as the batteries and chargers ran out and the wi-fi vanished, people walked outside of their cold, damp, dark, homes and talked to their neighbours, some for the first time. Meanwhile, public phone boxes - if not underwater - developed queues as people battled for news of family and loved ones.

Instead of shivering in their homes and feeling sorry for themselves, many residents were outside sandbagging, helping the elderly, checking up on the more vulnerable and taking steps to provide for those worse affected. There are so many individual stories, ones of bravery, generosity, community spirit and smiling through a very miserable experience.

Now the clean up is underway, all the while we keep a nervous eye on the weather reports. We can be sure of absolutely nothing with the elements but we can be sure that after this experience, the people of Lancashire and Cumbria are there for each other.

And that can keep all of us a bit warmer.