Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

purch

Generali wrote: »

What happened at Heathrow?

It'll be under 2 foot of water by tonight :eek:

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

I don't understand this blame thing over the weather.

I mean, on its very nature its an act of god. The emphasis on the levels is understandable but frankly, as a rural person with immense empathy with them, still a little bemusing to me. It concerns me that now people will compare the treatment of Somerset with the treatment of the areas in the se where there is very little comparison in the numbers of people impacted. NOT how much the individuals are impacted, not in the least.

Lir, I hadn't even heard of the Somerset Levels before this. It's a geography lesson for me as much as anything else. I'm guessing that they are naturally marshy and low lying.

However I will say this. I live at the top of a hill. I am nowhere near a river and the river that I am near is a piddly little thing. The chance of my house flooding bar from a burst water main are nil. Yet the land round here is totally sodden and there is minor flooding everywhere. Nothing like near the Levels and Wraysbury, clearly, but the ground can't take any more water.

I've never seen anything like these local conditions. If this is, as I have heard on the news, the wettest winter for 250 years, then that explains a lot.

However longer term, weather is clearly changing and flooding is more commonplace. However builders still build unsuitable homes on flood plains. I am not against building homes on floodplains per se, I have a friend in the US who lives in a house on stilts and that works great when there's flooding, they move the car out and use their boat instead. Similarly, in Australia, high set Queenslanders both help keep the house cool and keep above the water levels. It seems though that we cannot think outside of brick boxes. The UK retains a relatively benign weather system compared to these countries and we are as a result a bit complacent.

I agree though, I don't understand the emphasis of one area over another... for anyone who suffers the disruption of a flood, it is terribly distressing, whoever and wherever they are. The political blame game is somewhat unedifying too.

Generali

purch wrote: »

It'll be under 2 foot of water by tonight :eek:

A major flood in Staines would do millions of pounds-worth of improvements.

Staines is a funny name for a place. Apparently it's a contraction of 'St Annes'. Why on earth would you take a place with a nice name like St Annes and turn it into Staines?

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

Lir, I hadn't even heard of the Somerset Levels before this. It's a geography lesson for me as much as anything else. I'm guessing that they are naturally marshy and low lying.

However I will say this. I live at the top of a hill. I am nowhere near a river and the river that I am near is a piddly little thing. The chance of my house flooding bar from a burst water main are nil. Yet the land round here is totally sodden and there is minor flooding everywhere. Nothing like near the Levels and Wraysbury, clearly, but the ground can't take any more water.

I've never seen anything like these local conditions. If this is, as I have heard on the news, the wettest winter for 250 years, then that explains a lot.

However longer term, weather is clearly changing and flooding is more commonplace. However builders still build unsuitable homes on flood plains. I am not against building homes on floodplains per se, I have a friend in the US who lives in a house on stilts and that works great when there's flooding, they move the car out and use their boat instead. Similarly, in Australia, high set Queenslanders both help keep the house cool and keep above the water levels. It seems though that we cannot think outside of brick boxes. The UK retains a relatively benign weather system compared to these countries and we are as a result a bit complacent.

I agree though, I don't understand the emphasis of one area over another... for anyone who suffers the disruption of a flood, it is terribly distressing, whoever and wherever they are. The political blame game is somewhat unedifying too.

Viva, for me the difference is, me, lonesome on my road, with a field is further down the list than a road with ten, twenty, forty houses, And that's further down the list than a town.

Its simple maths. Tragic, but true. Any triage system works on it.

Lives are decimated. We all should get offered transport out. I'd not leave my critters, its true, but I'd take the offer of a less than suitable paddock or barn on high land and sitting tight til I could be got to I think. Property isn't lives.

Its not about one area over another, its about number of lives ruined. Its all tragic. I understand the lives of the people on the levels. Its essentially my life. I looked at a place on the levels with an ex years ago.

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

Viva, for me the difference is, me, lonesome on my road, with a field is further down the list than a road with ten, twenty, forty houses, And that's further down the list than a town.

Its simple maths. Tragic, but true. Any triage system works on it.

Ah right, with you now. Misunderstood you. On the news there have been people in the very similar locations of Datchet and Wraysbury, saying "I can't understand why the army is out in Datchet when the houses that are flooding are in Wraysbury". I thought it was that neighbours vs neighbours squabbling that you were talking about. Sorry, totally wrong end of the stick.

If this kind of weather goes on, I can see a demand for some sort of new environmental charity, something like the coastguard but inland, offering advice on saving a house from flooding on a good day, then helping with evacuation on a bad one. It is clear that the government doesn't have the money so someone needs to come in and fill that particular gap.

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

Ah right, with you now. Misunderstood you. On the news there have been people in the very similar locations of Datchet and Wraysbury, saying "I can't understand why the army is out in Datchet when the houses that are flooding are in Wraysbury". I thought it was that neighbours vs neighbours squabbling that you were talking about. Sorry, totally wrong end of the stick.

If this kind of weather goes on, I can see a demand for some sort of new environmental charity, something like the coastguard but inland, offering advice on saving a house from flooding on a good day, then helping with evacuation on a bad one. It is clear that the government doesn't have the money so someone needs to come in and fill that particular gap.

We have the SES over here, the State Emergency Service. It is partly paid for by the States and Territories and partly paid for by charitable donations and staffed by volunteers.

They'll come and help clear up after floods and storms, dispense tea and sympathy after fires, provide first aid during a disaster and they also do search and rescue at sea and on land. Amongst other things.

zagubov

vivatifosi wrote: »

I worked for many years near Heathrow airport. Thinking of all my friends and former colleagues in Wraysbury, Datchet, Staines, Colnbrook, Egham, Old Windsor and the local area. They are places that I know well and it is so sad seeing them on tv again. DH still works at Heathrow and also knows a lot of people facing problems. Very sad.

I have relatives who live(d) on an island in that area. Now their island and the road leading across to it are underwater so we can't help clear up. Looks like it may get worse before it gets better.

LydiaJ

silvercar wrote: »

Clearly I've missed something, hope everything is OK.

Me too. Sending best wishes even if I don't know exactly what they're for!

SingleSue wrote: »

Think I am in for a rough night, youngest has had to use his inhaler several times today and his peak flows are struggling a tad.

Going to be a long night....

Hope things improve today, Sue.

vivatifosi wrote: »

Lir, I hadn't even heard of the Somerset Levels before this. It's a geography lesson for me as much as anything else. I'm guessing that they are naturally marshy and low lying.

Yes. People have been gradually draining them over several centuries, with the final bits done during WWII, I gather. The whole area is above mean sea level but below maximum high tide at the coast, which means that drainage requires pumping etc.

Yesterday I drove across the A39 from Bridgwater to Glastonbury. It's quite high up (well out of the water) but it gives you a clear view over the Levels for miles - and there's water for miles. It looks like sea, except that there's tree's sticking out of it.

I think the thing that's particularly dreadful about the Levels flooding is how long it's been going on for. Floods in this country can be devastating, but the water usually recedes within a day or two and then the clear-up starts. For things to be underwater for a couple of months with no end in sight is just appalling.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

We have the SES over here, the State Emergency Service. It is partly paid for by the States and Territories and partly paid for by charitable donations and staffed by volunteers.

They'll come and help clear up after floods and storms, dispense tea and sympathy after fires, provide first aid during a disaster and they also do search and rescue at sea and on land. Amongst other things.

Thanks Gen. It's the SES model that I was thinking of. My QLD cousin and her husband, when not nursing or working as a paramedic, work with them, as does my cousin in Geelong. I think the SES is absolutely fab, clearly the way they are structured there would be an overlap with the fire brigade here, I'm thinking more about their flood work.

michaels

lostinrates wrote: »

I don't understand this blame thing over the weather.

I mean, on its very nature its an act of god. The emphasis on the levels is understandable but frankly, as a rural person with immense empathy with them, still a little bemusing to me. It concerns me that now people will compare the treatment of Somerset with the treatment of the areas in the se where there is very little comparison in the numbers of people impacted. NOT how much the individuals are impacted, not in the least.

Well it has become a good meeedya story init, Govt scrabbling, blamestorming etc.

This morning it was let slip that all of 60 houses had been flooded on the levels which suddenly put into perspective the calls to spend £10m dredging compared to the number of homes that money could protect spent for example on the banks of the Thames or Severn.