# Today



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Dear British Community,

Just to remind you of today's "Meet Your Warden" Event at the British Community Association in Maadi.

This is meant for the community residing in Maadi, Heliopolis, Shorouk, Katameya, Giza, Al Rehab.



For those of you who don't know.. the British Embassy has a warden system in place to help you in a crisis.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

What about me in my villllaaaaaaaage? 

I bet if a crisis where to break out, i would be one of the last one's exported out


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

ArabianNights said:


> What about me in my villllaaaaaaaage?
> 
> I bet if a crisis where to break out, i would be one of the last one's exported out


Are you registered with the embassy if not do so by internet it's for your safety so they say.


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## throknor (Feb 11, 2012)

ArabianNights said:


> What about me in my villllaaaaaaaage?
> 
> I bet if a crisis where to break out, i would be one of the last one's exported out


let me know if SHTF lol im stuck here lol i wanna prepare


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## PoleDancer (Apr 14, 2010)

Ah, from speed reading a mail from the ACE Club, I thought they were meant to be there. That'll teach me to read mails more thoroughly.

So out of interest (having failed to make the right drinking club) can anybody let on what this warden stuff is about? Whilst I registered with the FCO, I've never been sent / found any details.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

I have registered with the BE and I do get their messages, but I still think that, knowing my luck, I would probably be one of the last people out. That is IF they actually do evacuation.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

ArabianNights said:


> I have registered with the BE and I do get their messages, but I still think that, knowing my luck, I would probably be one of the last people out. That is IF they actually do evacuation.




Do not rely on the British Embassy to get you out.. I talk from experience.


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## Musical (Feb 8, 2011)

MaidenScotland said:


> Do not rely on the British Embassy to get you out.. I talk from experience.


 My British friends tell me that the British Embassy were less than efficient or helpful last year, when governments such as Australia and NZ were far superior when it came to getting their citizens out.

I hope I don't have to find out the response of the Irish Embassy... although i'm sure that they would treat us paddies well!


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## PoleDancer (Apr 14, 2010)

I neither needed to get out, nor felt it was the responsibility of the Embassy to get me out. I got good advice from them, with no problem getting through to them (or at least the FCO hotline) for that advice. That contrasts with the experiences of some of my friends from other English speaking countries.

My issue is more with the on-the-ground, day-to-day communication here. Frankly they're a bit crap at that. However it's a bit unfair to level that criticism at them when they seemingly visited my neighbourhood today and I missed them because (1) I failed to read my mail carefully and (2) this thread had a vague, non-specific title.


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## Maireadhoey (Jul 25, 2011)

Musical said:


> My British friends tell me that the British Embassy were less than efficient or helpful last year, when governments such as Australia and NZ were far superior when it came to getting their citizens out.
> 
> I hope I don't have to find out the response of the Irish Embassy... although i'm sure that they would treat us paddies well!


The Irish embassy were excellent.......... now they weren't the fastest..... more a case of let's all head to .........this hotel and sure we'll see how it goes, ........looking like it's getting a wee bit messy..........guess we'll be headin then..........aw feck the pints are twice the price in Dublin!!!


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

PoleDancer said:


> I neither needed to get out, nor felt it was the responsibility of the Embassy to get me out. I got good advice from them, with no problem getting through to them (or at least the FCO hotline) for that advice. That contrasts with the experiences of some of my friends from other English speaking countries.
> 
> My issue is more with the on-the-ground, day-to-day communication here. Frankly they're a bit crap at that. However it's a bit unfair to level that criticism at them when they seemingly visited my neighbourhood today and I missed them because (1) I failed to read my mail carefully and (2) this thread had a vague, non-specific title.


I could respond to that, in the way that I usually would - but I think I'll shut up. The sores on my cheeks are quite sore still from the slaps I got from my other thread.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

PoleDancer said:


> I neither needed to get out, nor felt it was the responsibility of the Embassy to get me out. I got good advice from them, with no problem getting through to them (or at least the FCO hotline) for that advice. That contrasts with the experiences of some of my friends from other English speaking countries.
> 
> My issue is more with the on-the-ground, day-to-day communication here. Frankly they're a bit crap at that. However it's a bit unfair to level that criticism at them when they seemingly visited my neighbourhood today and I missed them because (1) I failed to read my mail carefully and (2) this thread had a vague, non-specific title.




I did not need the BE to get me out.. the Embassy I worked for got me out in hours but it would have been nice to know the BE was there if I need it,
I live beside the 6th October bridge.. so although not right in the thick of things it was still on my doorstep, however I got no communication from the BE and had to rely on someone else to get me numbers to pass on via this site.


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> I did not need the BE to get me out.. the Embassy I worked for got me out in hours but it would have been nice to know the BE was there if I need it,
> I live beside the 6th October bridge.. so although not right in the thick of things it was still on my doorstep, however I got no communication from the BE and had to rely on someone else to get me numbers to pass on via this site.


The BE offered to get us out but we refused as we were being protected by the locals in our street. And before anybody gets the wrong idea yes I'm the only foreigner in the street and the locals are lower to middle class.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

hhaddad said:


> The BE offered to get us out but we refused as we were being protected by the locals in our street. And before anybody gets the wrong idea yes I'm the only foreigner in the street and the locals are lower to middle class.




I am interested to know what they offered you and how they contacted you.
I know for a fact that they had no idea we have a warden system in place and that the list of Brits here had not been updated for four years.. so they really didn't have an idea who was here.

I am the only foreigner in my bit.. and still no help offered despite me being friends with a couple of people who were employed there. It was the phoning me privately that kept me up to date until one actually went on annual leave lol


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> I am interested to know what they offered you and how they contacted you.
> I know for a fact that they had no idea we have a warden system in place and that the list of Brits here had not been updated for four years.. so they really didn't have an idea who was here.
> 
> I am the only foreigner in my bit.. and still no help offered despite me being friends with a couple of people who were employed there. It was the phoning me privately that kept me up to date until one actually went on annual leave lol


I registered us on the FCO site luckily before the net went down. And when the net came back I found an e-mail which if I remember correctly offered to send us a bus to our house to pick us up and the flight would cost us 200 G.B.P.
I still get lastest updates by e-mail from fco.


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## SHendra (Oct 18, 2010)

I had no help offered either.. well to begin with they promised son an emergency passport but then withdrew it as his first one not arrived at that point! But then again I was in Alexandria would of been a massive risk to travel all way to Cairo for a flight! No flights were offered at all for those in Alex's etc. AND I never heard from anyone from the BE I made the calls. 

I can remember us finding the emails of advice that was sent in the time none of us had internet or phones!


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## firstfossil (Apr 16, 2011)

I don't think the embassy can do much in terms of an evacuation because of the number of British passport holders in the country - which other European country has more in Egypt? 

And Disgusted of Tonbridge Wells doesn't like shelling out to provide the safe return for people who've chosen to avoid paying taxes in UK! Many made noises about this during the Libya crisis.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

hhaddad said:


> I registered us on the FCO site luckily before the net went down. And when the net came back I found an e-mail which if I remember correctly offered to send us a bus to our house to pick us up and the flight would cost us 200 G.B.P.
> I still get lastest updates by e-mail from fco.




I am registered... actually everyone was sent that email but if you remember correctly it told you to ring a number in London.. which I tried for hours and could not get through, my daughter tried and could not get through.. asking people to phone London was nothing short of stupid as many many people do not have a landline that will call overseas and of course we were never sure if our mobiles would work or not. I believe the flight was nearer the 400 mark.
There was to my recollection no bus offered you had to make your own way to the airport.
I told the embassy I work through I wanted out and 6 hours later I was sitting on a plane after being picked up and taken to the JWMarriott for lunch whilst I waited on my flight.. I met lots of nationals who had been in Cairo on holiday and they were flying back on my flight. They had received emails telling them to go to the hotel at a certain time as flights had been arranged for them to fly home.
Philippine embassy got word out that to go home all you had to do was phone the embassy in cairo and tell them your name.. it didn't matter if you were not holding your passport they would still fly you home. 

The British Government and embassy were a complete shambles IMO.


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## hhaddad (Apr 14, 2010)

It's true my memory is a bit vague over that period and my e-mails have disapeared sorry if I gave the wrong imfo.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

From some of the posts here, it seemed that getting evacuated or help from the BE is akin to committing a sin, why? I mean, isn't that what they are there for? We are British Citizens after all!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

hhaddad said:


> It's true my memory is a bit vague over that period and my e-mails have disapeared sorry if I gave the wrong imfo.




No problem. I too have memory lapses it is just that I do not like to see the BE being praised for something that they didn't actually do.. ie help their citizens.
If you think about it.. the BE sent out an email. there was always the chance that the internet was not back on for weeks.. 

I also wrote to William Hague about the farce never to receive a reply.


:focus:


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