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Flooding


taxi4ballet

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My heart goes out to those in the UK affected by the floods, especially the farmers and villagers in the Somerset Levels, who have been inundated for weeks already.

 

For anyone who uses a well-known internet auction site (oh, all right - ebay) I've just noticed that when you pay by paypal you can donate £1 to help those affected by the flooding.

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My parents lived in Molesey in Surrey between 1956 and 1989. It is dormitory suburb of London a few hundred yards from the Thames. In September 1968 the river burst its banks and the whole of our neighbourhood was inundated in stinking, muddy water. There are some pictures from that time on the Molesey History website. For several nights our little community was on national television and I remember we did get some help from the army. 

 

The water subsided after several days but it took months for our home to dry out. Even after the house had dried out the smell of the water lingered for at least another year.

 

I escaped to St Andrews at the end of September but the damp and smell were still there when I returned for vacations.

 

I have these memories constantly in mind when I read about the floods in Somerset and the Thames Valley.

 

We get a lot of snow here in the Pennines - in fact yesterday's ballet class was cancelled because I was the only student who could make it into Huddersfield. It is disruptive for a time but we cope with it.   It stays for only a few days and generally does very little lasting damage.  Flooding is quite different.

 

All the folks affected have my sympathy and I wish I could do something to help them.

Edited by terpsichore
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As far as I am aware, we here in Waterloo are not in imminent danger of flooding but the wind is currently terrifying.  The whole house is shaking.

 

About the time you wrote this, I was on the phone to someone in Lancashire.  He opened the front door, and the noise was horrendous, even at the end of the phone line.  He said it was 1987-hurricane-like conditions (only, of course, that never struck that far north).

 

I suppose I should be glad that we've only got water seeping through one of our outside walls.  I will never take cavity walling for granted again.

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It is really windy here tonight. It was hard to walk into the wind when we went out to celebrate my youngest's birthday. Our part of Lincolnshire seems to be escaping the terrible flooding other parts of the country are suffering. My heart goes out to them all. It must be dreadful for those affected.

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We had to evacuate my parents from their home this evening as they had no heating and food was getting low. They live in Staines along where there were lots of news teams reporting today! Luckily like a lot of homes round there the house is well built up but the water is everywhere and access near impossible. Movement around here at the moment is very difficult with so many roads flooded. The army have taken over a local council office block to run their operations from. The police on Monday were out checking everyone was ok and once mum and dad decided to leave the rescue services got them out quickly. Let's hope they can go home soon but we expect it will be at least a week.

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I've just seen a map of the UK and it looks as though the whole country is covered by this latest storm. I have family in an area that's prone to flooding but so far I'm being told that things aren't as bad as in 2007, so I hope that record isn't broken.

 

In the meantime we're at the front end of what's promised to be about a foot of snow interspersed with freezing rain. Our local power company doesn't seem to be able to get power back on for days after major storms in summer or winter, so I'm hoping the power doesn't go out. But with an ice storm expected sometime tomorrow afternoon in between the two snowstorms, I don't hold out a lot of hope for the power staying on.

Edited by Melody
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We were evacuated in 2007 when our area was really badly flooded, although luckily the flood water stopped about a foot from the house in the end.  We were one of 4 houses that stood on a little island surrounded by knee deep water.  The houses in the street behind us had 7ft of water.  So far this year the flood defences have held their own, thank goodness.  Unfortunately the actual flooding is only the start of the misery.  It takes months for properties to dry out properly and people to be able to rebuild their lives and for those not flooded living close to flooded properties is no picnic either.  We had no power for 12 hours, no drinking water for about 5 days (a mile away had none for 2 weeks) and the smell was incredible.  Not just from the houses but every tree, shrub, plant was covered in muddy residue for months and months. We lost the pub and the shop and gained policeman and then a village patrol to keep a look out for looters.  And when the work started on repairing the houses the streets became a parking lot for all the builders and the noise from 60+ houses full of workmen has to be heard to be believed.  So I do really feel for all those communities affected this time round, whilst still praying that we do not yet become part of it.

 

Some good did come out of it all, however.  All the farmers around here are very diligent about keeping their ditches clear and checking any streams on their land.  The river has regular patrols to check for and remove any debris that could cause obstructions to the flow of the water and in our village the drains are checked and cleaned out regularly by the council and finally we also have a village flood plan so those in the flood zone will get help moving furniture, somewhere to stay, pets looked after - whatever it is they need.  Still hoping the plan does not get tested!

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Thanks for sharing your experience 2DM. It is horrific for everyone.

 

Some years ago BRB midscale was in Cheltenham about 2 weeks after bad flooding there.  The owners lived in the basement flat of the hotel we were staying in.  They had been flooded out and 2 adults and 2 young children were living in one of the hotel bedrooms.  They were paranoid about a musty smell (which we didn't notice at all) and were providing air fresheners to everyone who asked.  They were still waiting for emergency living accommodation.

 

When we went back the following year the family had only been able to move back into their flat the week before we stayed.  They had managed to keep their hotel business going during all that dreadful time.  Although I haven't been able to go to Cheltenham for some time, my friends still stay there.

 

Good luck to everyone in the flood areas.

 

I see the winds are due back here with a vengeance tomorrow.  It was terrifying last night but we survived.  Long may that continue!

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Well I can consider myself to be very lucky where I live as only the centre of Newry ever gets flooded,and only ever by a few inches. Desperately feel for those affected though. Something will definately have to be done long term to alleviate the annual problem.

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Your post 7 Terpischore reminds me that my parents place was also flooded in 1968 and probably from the same source as the river Wey and all local rivers including the Mole seemed to burst their banks that year. My parents house is about a quarter of a mile from the river Wey. This was in September after a very wet summer and just before I was due to return to College. I think it was before the Thames flood barrier was built and water was released to protect London and Guildford. It was initially almost exciting at the time but about 3 am the water started seeping in through the skirting boards and soon it was knee high. People were going into Byfleet village(which was in the news again at the end of last year on Christmas Eve) by canoes the next morning but it was the recovery which was not so much fun. All the floor tiles in the kitchen came up and it was a miserable clear up. The houses right down by the river Wey at the time had water up to their rooves and I made a note then never to live too close to a river!!

It hasn't happened again though not to my parents place......not even this year.....so far....but I recognised the road at Parvis Bridge on the news at Christmas and thought well only another few hundred metres to go!!

 

Yes it's a really dire business cleaning up after a flood.....so sympathies to anyone's who is in the throes of this......probably why I live at the top of a hill........but then the other night thought we were going to be blown away and our garden fence along part of one side is completely flat over at the mo!! Would like to fix it.......if it would stop raining for more than half a day!!

Edited by LinMM
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