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

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

...60 houses had been flooded ... £10m dredging

You see, their first argument should be to bring out the costs and figures. That's what I find annoying about most discussions, they don't cut to the chase.

60 houses, that's £170k each. And the £10million wouldn't be once, but ongoing. So the maths doesn't stack up.....

People forget the numbers - and that things have to be paid for.

PasturesNew

zagubov wrote: »

My secret fear that this thread consists of just me and two or three people with multiple personality disorder grows stronger by the day.:eek:

I'm you too.

PasturesNew

Doozergirl wrote: »

This photo is brilliant.

It's King Canute holding back the tide.

As I understand it King Canute sat there to PROVE he couldn't get the sea to stop coming in... not the opposite as most retellings imply

PasturesNew

Doozergirl wrote: »

If we are generally going to be getting wetter? They can't be getting all that much farming done.

There was a farmer on countryfile last night, his family had farmed there for 150 years. I think he said that 95% of his land is under water. He's got mostly cows now .... after the programme they said he'd had to get the cows out/abandon the farm.

For 150 years it was all OK, but now it seems it's every year for the last few years only. So there's been a lot of farming going on for a long time there.... and the cost of a farm > the cost of a house.

So, for him, it wouldn't be about giving up his house, but a whole farm, 150 years of family history and memories. Loss of income, loss of a business, couldn't start again, I wonder what the cost to buy his business would have been on the open market.

purch

michaels wrote: »

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.

The village of Muchelney which is the village cut off by flooding is home to less than 200, and a couple of farms. It is this village that has been the centre of virtually all the publicity.

The main A361 through Burrowbridge towards Othery has been closed for weeks due to flooding, but villagers there have alternative routes they can take. This road is closed due to flooding 2 or 3 times most winters, but in "normal" times this only lasts a day or so. The area under water is vast, but the people directly affected are few and live in very small parts of the flooded area.

Historically much larger areas of the Levels have been under water for many months, and it is only relatively recently that pumping stations and modern drainage solutions have made these villages viable.

For me one worrying aspect is how the flooding has affected Rail services. The line from Bristol to Taunton crosses the levels near a village called Athelney (the area is called the Isle of Athelney :eek:) and was completely under water on Sunday, then the line from Waterloo to Exeter was shut due to a landslide and the whole South West was cut off from the rail network.

PasturesNew

purch wrote: »

The village of Muchelney which is the village cut off by flooding is home to less than 200, and a couple of farms. It is this village that has been the centre of virtually all the publicity.

...it is only relatively recently that pumping stations and modern drainage solutions have made these villages viable.

The latest bunch of villages that were evacuated (Moorland etc) was because, I believe, the pumping station packed up.

And this fella - the last house standing. Built at £1million 4-5 years ago on the highest spot, he's built an island http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/1-million-Moorland-house-sitting-flooded-Somerset/story-20582622-detail/story.html

They've been evacuated 2-3 days now... and included footage of a ranting farmer screaming at passing lorries/vehicles "STOP - you're flooding my house!!" as he'd sandbagged it, but all the passing traffic was creating bow waves that then swamped his house.

Doozergirl

PasturesNew wrote: »

There was a farmer on countryfile last night, his family had farmed there for 150 years. I think he said that 95% of his land is under water. He's got mostly cows now .... after the programme they said he'd had to get the cows out/abandon the farm.

For 150 years it was all OK, but now it seems it's every year for the last few years only. So there's been a lot of farming going on for a long time there.... and the cost of a farm > the cost of a house.

So, for him, it wouldn't be about giving up his house, but a whole farm, 150 years of family history and memories. Loss of income, loss of a business, couldn't start again, I wonder what the cost to buy his business would have been on the open market.

I understand all that, but if his farm consistently keeps going underwater, he's already having a hard time. It's a bit different to a case where you're perfectly happy, minding your own business and the government decide to build HS2 across the lawn.

I want to see sensible development and protection of flood plains but don't like the idea that the taxpayer funds an eternal battle against nature to save 60 houses, not people.

PasturesNew

silvercar wrote: »

You know those foil containers that have lids that are foil on one side and paper on the other?

If you let then touch the element of a grill they catch fire! quickly!

Well ... I'd be nervous of putting one of those lids into the middle shelf of an oven!

purch

PasturesNew wrote: »

.

And this fella - the last house standing. Built at £1million 4-5 years ago on the highest spot

Sam Notaro.

I hope he didn't get his own firm of "cowboys" to build his house :eek:

Doozergirl

PasturesNew wrote: »

They've been evacuated 2-3 days now... and included footage of a ranting farmer screaming at passing lorries/vehicles "STOP - you're flooding my house!!" as he'd sandbagged it, but all the passing traffic was creating bow waves that then swamped his house.

Someone did that to me in 2007. Their car was stranded in 2 feet of water - its fair to say it was already wet.