I can't beleive people are blaming the Governemnt and the Environment Agency. How is it there fault that it's rained almost constantly for what seems like months? Maybe they could have dredged the rivers more but you can bet your bottom dollar that if they had and we had a mild winter followed by a hot summer the same people would be moaning that they was no water in the rivers, wildlife was dying etc etc. They have bushfires in Oz, people I know have lost property and horses, but they don't blame the Government or Local Authorities. It's a natural hazard in the outback just like flooding is here.
Maybe they shouldn't have built the Thames Barrier, would have saved a few quid.
My nan lived in Yalding and i can remember the area flooding over 35 yrs ago, so its not a new thing in the area unfortunately. Also I used to work in the signalbox at Wateringbury, and every year the poor old restaurant beside it floods, god knows how they afforded the insurance for it.
Spot on Kev. I've fished Yalding for years. A known flood area. Doesn't help the poor buggers who live there mind.
Some serious flood alerts on the Darenth and Medway and at the western end of the Thames today, don't park your car by the river in Putney
The Darenth burst its banks a couple of weekends ago. Got into work on Monday morning to find 3" of water on the ground floor of the building. Everything is off the floor for this weekend.
A flood alert has been issued by the Environment Agency for the River Shuttle and River Cray. The Environment Agency reports that flooding could happen along the section of the River Cray from St Mary's Cray to Crayford, which includes Hall Place. Flooding is also possible for the River Shuttle from Blackfen, through Sidcup to Old Bexley, which includes Lamorbey Park.
The alert indicates that flooding could happen at any point between Thursday 6 February and Monday 10 February, with low lying land and roads affected first. The relevant departments are aware and have initiatives in place should the flooding take place.
Staff who think they may be affected by the weather condition are advised to make sure they know how to use their laptop and telephony equipment at home. Anyone who experiences difficulty logging in should call the Steria Helpdesk.
The EA advice to the public is to call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 using quickdial 01262 for up-to-date flooding information.
I've been following all this from over in California. This seems to me to be the worst it has ever been. I'm hearing that it is non stop rain. This must be very wearing for everyone. What a winter this is becoming. The East coast of the states is being deluged with snow which is then going over the Atlantic and hitting you. Meanwhile in California we're under drought conditions.
The bottom football pitches at Hall Place have been under water for the best part of the last two-three months.
That can't be right. I thought it was only The Valley that was having problems? Didn't realise the Charlton board had managed to somehow fuck up Hall Place as well.
You buy a house in a flood plain. It rains a lot. You get flooded.
Suddenly it's the Government's/Environment Agency's/Local Council's fault.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
I can't remember hearing from people living in flood plain areas demanding that taxes/rates/expenditure is increased to reduce the risk of flooding, when the 'worst drought in living memory' was hot news a couple of years ago.
Would you know you had bought a house on a flood plain say 20 or 30 years ago or less? If properties are approved by the Local Authority or whoever it is for the development of properties on flood plains then surely they have a responsibility to do everything they can to prevent flooding even if that means increasing council tax.
Most of the issues in the press and on the telly are centred around the Somerset levels. So yes, if you owned a property there you would know that you were at a high risk of flooding. There are other areas where floods haven't occurred with regularity that have been hit. Harder to make that argument there, but as Addickted points out, land searches would highlight this.
The most salient point here is that, whilst their plight is undoubtedly pretty grim, most of the people inundated in the levels are suffering from the rule of 'the needs of the many outweigh those of the few'. Dredging the rivers (which seems to be the cause celebre of pillocks like Prince Charles - proving once again that he knows f*** all about anything, and should keep his mouth shut) wouldn't have prevented these floods in the slightest. However, doing so would increase the river's flow to dangerous levels - meaning towns downstream, like Bridgwater, would have been very badly affected - much worse even than they have been. Dredging doesn't solve flooding problems, it exacerbates them (or at the very least moves them elsewhere).
From an entirely selfish, personal POV, it can rain as much as it likes. I can still run in the rain and get my marathon training done. If it snows, I'll be absolutely stuffed.
My dad was in Looe at this time - he has a house on Barbican Hill. It's a lovely part of the world but whenever we go there it bloody rains all the time
My dad was in Looe at this time - he has a house on Barbican Hill. It's a lovely part of the world but whenever we go there it bloody rains all the time
Tell me about it .....!
Lovely sunny morning here, feels like spring ....... but next storm forecast to hit tomorrow.
One school of thought --not dredging actually helps and natural flood plains stop flooding to built up areas further down the rivers etc The next it dredging gets the water away quicker (notice they dont sat where to).
bottom line is these "experts dont know"
we have had record rain falls for December and January and two huge storms in Feb (one this weekend)---------the level of rain havnt been seen before.
I kept wondering where all the pumped water was going-----------today they said that the majority of pumps are being turned off as isnt not going anywhere or doing any good.
Problem is, GH, the experts DO know. It's the fucking idiots who don't believe them that get all the attention. Same as these pinheads who think that vaccination causes autism, with No evidence whatsoever, yet somehow their crackpot theories get given airtime because it's a way of belittling scientists.
I think this is because science is hard, yet people for some reason think they should be able to understand it. They can't, so try and rubbish centuries of evidence-based research.
Of course one sympathises with the plight of anyone suffering the consequences of any "disaster" be it natural or man made.
I spent a decade living in the USA "tornado alley" spending more than a few evenings monitoring the media for tornado watches/ tornado warnings and on occasion sitting in the central room of the house with emergency provisions.
Fortunately the nearest any tornado came to my house was about 5 miles away but sadly "stuff happens". Those who suffered the impact of such natural disaster were obviously distraught but providing nobody lost their life, they got on with it.
As far as I am aware nobody has died in the Somerset Levels as a result of the flooding. Until today we were talking about 25sq. miles and 40 houses. The projected solution is likely to cost circa £4mn - effectively £100k per house or £160k a square mile.
If you live in flood plain and it floods who created the expectation other people would fund your property protection to that extent particularly as many local residents acknowledge the area is likely to flood but are complaining about the scale & length of flooding. Does such additional inconvenience though upsetting & frustrating warrant £4mn tax payer expenditure.
There are people with cancer facing deprivation of life extending medications because their funding is not available in the UK. Demands on the public purse are endless. Where would you spend the money?
The media scrum engulfing the Somerset levels is totally disproportionate. On what basis do all these "frontline" TV presenters suddenly feel the need to be on the ground. I am pretty sure it has little to do with the interest of the local people and more to do with their profiles and ratings especially as competing channels do battle to parade the most distressed residents.
I used to shudder at US media intrusion at such events but even they seldom interviewed in real time people at their most vulnerable when cogent responses are likely beyond them.
Watching the baying group of "journalists" today each more desperate than the next to demand answers to their most strident questions, fundamentally unable to organise themselves into asking a series of coherent questions of the Head of the Environment Agency was akin to the mobs gathering outside the school tuck shop at opening time.
It was not only detrimental to the cause of the people they purported to represent it was actually nauseating.
The UK is still experiencing the wettest winter on record. At some point you would like to think mankind would learn despite its best efforts it cannot always protect itself from the excessive forces of nature.
Life does not come with guarantees. People used to know that.
A sink hole apparently. Bad news for Wimbledon, who won't be able to play at home for a few weeks.
I know nothing about sink holes but wouldn’t you get some clue that this may happen when building the ground/pitch? I would imagine plenty of safety related stuff now for fans etc. can’t see it opening again soon
Comments
Everything is off the floor for this weekend.
A flood alert has been issued by the Environment Agency for the River Shuttle and River Cray. The Environment Agency reports that flooding could happen along the section of the River Cray from St Mary's Cray to Crayford, which includes Hall Place. Flooding is also possible for the River Shuttle from Blackfen, through Sidcup to Old Bexley, which includes Lamorbey Park.
The alert indicates that flooding could happen at any point between Thursday 6 February and Monday 10 February, with low lying land and roads affected first. The relevant departments are aware and have initiatives in place should the flooding take place.
Staff who think they may be affected by the weather condition are advised to make sure they know how to use their laptop and telephony equipment at home. Anyone who experiences difficulty logging in should call the Steria Helpdesk.
The EA advice to the public is to call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 using quickdial 01262 for up-to-date flooding information.
The most salient point here is that, whilst their plight is undoubtedly pretty grim, most of the people inundated in the levels are suffering from the rule of 'the needs of the many outweigh those of the few'. Dredging the rivers (which seems to be the cause celebre of pillocks like Prince Charles - proving once again that he knows f*** all about anything, and should keep his mouth shut) wouldn't have prevented these floods in the slightest. However, doing so would increase the river's flow to dangerous levels - meaning towns downstream, like Bridgwater, would have been very badly affected - much worse even than they have been. Dredging doesn't solve flooding problems, it exacerbates them (or at the very least moves them elsewhere).
And while we're at it lets concrete over the coast.
Oh, and at the same time I don't want my taxes going up a penny, and I still want the right to complain when it rains.
Lovely sunny morning here, feels like spring ....... but next storm forecast to hit tomorrow.
The next it dredging gets the water away quicker (notice they dont sat where to).
bottom line is these "experts dont know"
we have had record rain falls for December and January and two huge storms in Feb (one this weekend)---------the level of rain havnt been seen before.
I kept wondering where all the pumped water was going-----------today they said that the majority of pumps are being turned off as isnt not going anywhere or doing any good.
I think this is because science is hard, yet people for some reason think they should be able to understand it. They can't, so try and rubbish centuries of evidence-based research.
I spent a decade living in the USA "tornado alley" spending more than a few evenings monitoring the media for tornado watches/ tornado warnings and on occasion sitting in the central room of the house with emergency provisions.
Fortunately the nearest any tornado came to my house was about 5 miles away but sadly "stuff happens". Those who suffered the impact of such natural disaster were obviously distraught but providing nobody lost their life, they got on with it.
As far as I am aware nobody has died in the Somerset Levels as a result of the flooding. Until today we were talking about 25sq. miles and 40 houses. The projected solution is likely to cost circa £4mn - effectively £100k per house or £160k a square mile.
If you live in flood plain and it floods who created the expectation other people would fund your property protection to that extent particularly as many local residents acknowledge the area is likely to flood but are complaining about the scale & length of flooding. Does such additional inconvenience though upsetting & frustrating warrant £4mn tax payer expenditure.
There are people with cancer facing deprivation of life extending medications because their funding is not available in the UK. Demands on the public purse are endless. Where would you spend the money?
The media scrum engulfing the Somerset levels is totally disproportionate. On what basis do all these "frontline" TV presenters suddenly feel the need to be on the ground. I am pretty sure it has little to do with the interest of the local people and more to do with their profiles and ratings especially as competing channels do battle to parade the most distressed residents.
I used to shudder at US media intrusion at such events but even they seldom interviewed in real time people at their most vulnerable when cogent responses are likely beyond them.
Watching the baying group of "journalists" today each more desperate than the next to demand answers to their most strident questions, fundamentally unable to organise themselves into asking a series of coherent questions of the Head of the Environment Agency was akin to the mobs gathering outside the school tuck shop at opening time.
It was not only detrimental to the cause of the people they purported to represent it was actually nauseating.
The UK is still experiencing the wettest winter on record. At some point you would like to think mankind would learn despite its best efforts it cannot always protect itself from the excessive forces of nature.
Life does not come with guarantees. People used to know that.
https://fanbanter.co.uk/carabao-cup-third-round-fixture-postponed-as-footage-emerges-of-stadium-flooded/
Some serious damage to the pitch and the stands surrounded by water...