Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

I think that's a brilliant idea Ragz and hope they keep it together. In Victorian times you had a roadman who was responsible for a section of road and he got a free house on his beat as part of the wages. He would clear the ditches and drainage channels - that would do wonders for small country roads. But they won't pay the wages now. Funny how, the more money there is around, the less they're inclined to spend it!
Woke up this morning to your rain. Thank you England

We still have it in this part of England, Mar. It's persisting down outside my flat.

Re roadmen, my Dad told me about these; they were still in existance in our part of England in the 1950s although I don't know if they got a house.

Seems such a good and logical idea. The amount of times I've been driving in the countryside and struggled because there were tree branches and shrubs over the road signs. And not just one season's growth, either. Some of these had obviously been growing across the signs for several years without anyone from the authorities bestrirring themselves to action.

One particularly choice example was a Give Way lollipop sign on a sharp bend about 20 yards from the junction with the main road. I've been travelling that road for 40+ years, girl and woman, so know it's there, but gawd help strangers from the nearby holiday camps............

fuddle

I do like the idea that each community is responsible for themselves, look after each other and the surrounding areas. In my community it's old timers (and their rude offspring who are now adults) witching about new comers and very much 'them and us'. We live in a selfish society (maybe just up north?) and somehow we need to get community back to living together and looking after one another.

In the harsh winter of 2010 our council (for once!) we're really quite prepared with their gritting salt levels. Because other councils weren't so prepared our council had to give its stocks of road grit to other councils. Brilliant that we shared with our counter parts but what is the point if being prepared if you get it taken away to give to others that weren't prepared? Are we responsible for our own communities or are we a big society?

The cynic in me thinks it was a case of take from the poor (north) and give to the rich (south) and wonders if London Town would give us northerners their salt stocks if we ran short?

Small communities employing local people to look after and maintain their own area sounds good to me. Local knowledge is what would make the difference. That and a bit of pride and actually caring about the area. Am I wearing rose tinted glasses again?

2tonsils

The rain that hit the UK in the last few days has now been joined by another system...its expected to slow down and bring very heavy rain to Wales, the Midlands and then the North. It could bring thunderstorms and high winds as well. Be careful out there folks, particularly as there could be frost tonight as well. Expected to turn noticeably colder tomorrow...horrible if you are cold and drenched...

pineapple

Here in my part of West Yorkshire we haven't yet had it as bad as other areas. However the field where I walk the dog is saturated and turning into a pond in places. But it is so steep around my house, we are not so much concerned with flooding where I live but with landslip.
I understand Piers contends that much of it is solar driven and that we are in some nasties ahead. But whether the cause is primarily man made or not I believe we are in for a rocky time. To the extent that I may well try to sell up next year and relocate.

mardatha

Here the terrain is hills and high open moors, with dykes enclosing roads & fields. If you look carefully at the side of the road there are small drainage channels every so often dug to let the water drain away under or through the dykes. These are all filled with mud and debris now, in the days of the roadmen they would be clear. Maybe that's part of what's happening re these floods? fallen leaves and stuff blocking the obvious course for the water?

pineapple

mardatha wrote: »

Here the terrain is hills and high open moors, with dykes enclosing roads & fields. If you look carefully at the side of the road there are small drainage channels every so often dug to let the water drain away under or through the dykes. These are all filled with mud and debris now, in the days of the roadmen they would be clear. Maybe that's part of what's happening re these floods? fallen leaves and stuff blocking the obvious course for the water?

Possibly a combination - drains not being maintained, building on flood plains, denser population centres, more weather extremes due to whatever.
And now it seems we finally have winter on the way.
I live in a tiny out of the way spot down an unadopted lane - no council gritters here! It just needs a severe frost or a bit of ice to stop us and if you do get out there is no choice but to brave a very dicey hill or an exposed bit of moorland.
We do club together for rock salt but it always seems to be the same few who put it down or who go to the rescue of neighbours in trouble. I learnt my lesson last year after braving the night cold to help dig out a stuck vehicle. The driver announced that shovelling was a major cause of heart attacks before going inside for a cuppa and not re-appearing till we had freed his car! :mad:

fuddle

Nice! Reminds me of when I got stuck on a hill when I had just passed my driving test. Snowy conditions. There were 4 cars and mine. We all helped the first car up, pushing etc. A woman driver just drove off. We helped a second woman driver to the top... she just drove off. I was thinking 'great, I'm up the rear here. Going to be stuck with no one to help me' both the males that were left got to the top of the hill, parked up over the brow and walked back down to help me. I was ashamed to be a woman that day.

2tonsils

mardatha wrote: »

Here the terrain is hills and high open moors, with dykes enclosing roads & fields. If you look carefully at the side of the road there are small drainage channels every so often dug to let the water drain away under or through the dykes. These are all filled with mud and debris now, in the days of the roadmen they would be clear. Maybe that's part of what's happening re these floods? fallen leaves and stuff blocking the obvious course for the water?

Here in Greece we have the drainage ditches as well, some of them are huge...big enough to get your car in (as some do in the winter months when the olives fall onto the wet roads). They are kept clear, sometimes by the local council but usually by the people who live near them. They need to be kept clear of debris all the time as it soon builds up and blocks them. We also have deep wells where all the water collects from the storms on the mountain and I think it goes to the water pumping station at the bottom of the hill. I have also seen bulldozers in the bottom of the dry riverbed in the summer, removing stones and debris so they can flow freely in the winter.

A few years ago the council in one part of Athens diverted the course of a river and it caused enormous flooding problems in the town. They were prosecuted and made to pay compensation to people.

Because the streets and buildings are so old (Venetian) in town here we get flash flooding. We were once walking round the shops when a flash flood hit and a wave of water about four feet deep came through the streets. We jumped up on the wall to get out of the way then escaped into a bar for a hot cup of chocolate while we recovered from the shock of it! I won't go to town now if it looks like heavy rain LOL

oldtractor

May I rant? Have been put in a very awkward situation by a well -heeled neighbour. TS has hit her fan. She is a carer for her lovely husband who has dementia. At the weekend her cellar flooded as it does when the river is up. problem is she's also a bit of a horder. in her celler is a MASSIVE freezer. big enough for a family of 10. I kid you not. Its up off the floor on breeze blocks. she also has at least 1 other freezer in the house lean-too. Re hording she has alsorts of stuff eg 6 garden spades sheds full of stuff house full of stuff especially food which neither her nor her husband eat but which make her feel comfortable having them around. Anyway when her cellar last flooded all the neighbours rallied round bailed her out and someone drove about 60 mile round trip to get her a watervpump.
she was advised to have a sump dug in the cellar for the pump and the cellar will never flood again as when the water table rises the pump will come on.
This she has failed to do and the cellar is full of stuff paint tins , furniture bought at bargain prices and never used etc etc and a PLUG INTO THE ELECTRIC freezer.
at the weekend everyone rallied round again sorted it out and told her again about the sump. she will ask her son in law she says .Meanwhile her hubby was found with a lighted log too big to go in their wood burner in his hand as he was trying to keep the stove going upstairs whilst we were all downstairs. there are 2 wood burners in the house.
She has oil fired central heating too but wants the log burners running instead. Now she has asked me to look after her DH when she pops out to the shops as he can be left re the fire. This places me on 24/7 type of call out. I dont handle stress well and its getting to me.
Now then, we do help out as much as possible BUT I have a family and smallholding to look after too.
Why oh why cant she just
1. not light the bl***y log burners when she knows shes going out
2 sort out the bl***y cellar situation instead of inconveniencing all and sundry on a regular basis.
they are not without money they dont need to hoard or not run the heating.
we have even suggested she engages a private nurse one a week to give herself a break but she wont hear of it.
A very difficult situation for all concerned, its not that we don't want to help, we do help but its all getting a bit much when people wont help themselves too.

vanoonoo

hi everyone - hope you're all safe and well - it's a big soggy round here and took me an hour to get to work this morning (usually less than 20 mins). Going to add a spare pair of socks to my edc I think!