UK Floods, panic ensues

tru

I live near the bottom of a hill so I'd head up there with my guinea pigs and chickens

Davesnave wrote: »

If you remember, a few years back, we had severe flooding in the lower Severn valley and many people had to rely on water bowsers for safe drinking water.

I seem to recall that emergency water in the supermarkets disappeared in hours and some helpful souls drained the bowsers or peed in them.

Yep, we did Some little shops thought they were clever and emptied Asda's bottled water shelves within hours. Then the supermarkets had collection points in the car parks, thousands of bottles of water were delivered and we had a limit of 2 free crates per day per family (can't remember how many bottles were in a crate, I think it was 12 x 2 litres). The small shops were stuck with bottles they couldn't sell :rotfl:

Mr tru works in South Wales, his boss gave him water cooler bottles and told him to take as much water as he needed, so we did OK. We shared it with the neighbours. I went to work with him a couple of times (his boss also rents out loads of houses, as luck would have it the house opposite work had just been vacated), just so I could have a shower, it was bliss We washed up in a tiny bit of water, and saved the water to flush the toilet.

It was possible to have a good wash, but I gave up riding my bike for 2 weeks til the water was back on. I used the bus ONCE to get to work, some people used it as an excuse not to wash and the bus absolutely stank. The rest of the time, I walked very slowly

It was nothing compared to the floods in Pakistan though.

cepheus

Well current predictions are for a 1-2 metre rise in sea levels by 2100. Of course in coastal and river areas there will be temporary flooding well in excess of this. Not a problem for us today, but I'm not sure if anyone would really wish to buy a property which will be below sea level then.

Here's a Map of East Anglia & Lincolnshire with a 2 metre rise

http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=53.1204,-0.0604&z=9&m=2

Mrs_Bones

I always remember my grandad telling me that if our town got flooded the rest of the country would be in deep trouble. We are 600ft above sea leavel and the source of 3 rivers, he always said that water ran away from our town not towards it.

MegaMiniMouse

Mrs_Bones wrote: »

I always remember my grandad telling me that if our town got flooded the rest of the country would be in deep trouble. We are 600ft above sea leavel and the source of 3 rivers, he always said that water ran away from our town not towards it.

I daresay many Pakistanis had Grandads like yours...

treliac

Cleaver wrote: »

Anyone who's anyone knows that dopester would be good company.

And although he'd be initially be a bit annoyed that you hadn't had the forethought to stockpile your own rice, he'd happily share his around without a word of complaint.

Complete with mouse droppings.

ess0two

Did'nt Cumbria,3 yrs ago have floods like this??

treliac

cepheus wrote: »

Well current predictions are for a 1-2 metre rise in sea levels by 2100. Of course in coastal and river areas there will be temporary flooding well in excess of this. Not a problem for us today, but I'm not sure if anyone would really wish to buy a property which will be below sea level then.

Here's a Map of East Anglia & Lincolnshire with a 2 metre rise

http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=53.1204,-0.0604&z=9&m=2

Mmmmm, scary! That's creeping a bit too close for comfort. :eek:

sjaypink

cepheus wrote: »

Here's a Map of East Anglia & Lincolnshire with a 2 metre rise

http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=53.1204,-0.0604&z=9&m=2

Thanks. Checked out my area using that. Maxed it to 14m. Like the look of that. My house is still there, but has gone from 5+ miles inland to practically beachfront

MegaMiniMouse

ess0two wrote: »

Did'nt Cumbria,3 yrs ago have floods like this??

How did I forget? Oops, I just spilt a bucket of water - maybe I need help from the President of Pakistan

Where do you live? Are there any newspapers or radio staions down your way?

vivatifosi

MegaMiniMouse wrote: »

Problem solved - thanks to the miracle of civilisation (what a pity the ***** are so uncivilised..)

I'd argue there are four things that have been an issue in Pakistan. One of these is the extent of flooding, which is gargantuan, but the others would make the same thing happening in the UK, while awful, much bearable.

The first of these is that the parts first hit by the flood (its the same with the flooding and mudslides in Tibet) is that they are so remote. There is nowhere in the UK - floods or no floods - that inaccessible.

The second is that the response on the part of the government has been relatively poor. Not as bad as Haiti post-earthquake but poor nevertheless. I'd like to think if something similar happened in the UK, EU and NATO resources would be forthcoming, though that would depend on what is happening elsewhere in Europe, as the Netherlands would be thumped by a similar level of flooding (as cepheus's maps show if you go pan over).

The third is that houses here are better built and are more likely to be multistorey, so while people may lose much of the functionality of their house, they would generally be able to escape to higher floors (or even into lofts as happened in Katrina). There are other things we'd take for granted. I'd be able to drain down my tank without it refilling, giving me a form of drinkable water even if the local supply became contaminated. People without running water or with a rudimentary supply don't have the same luxuries, hence cholera is raising its ugly head.

The fourth is that poverty is not as endemic here. If you are poor in Pakistan and lose your house, you end up giving birth on railway platforms, or sleeping on the side of the main road (as the news storeys have shown). If you're poor in the UK, there's a good chance that the state will at least try and help you, even if you end up sleeping on the floor of a church hall miles away, you'll likely have better shelter. Starvation is less likely to result also.

It's totally unfair, but I can't see any situation under which the UK could be as badly affected.