Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

Fidelia

My sister lives in Yorkshire and they have flood warnings in place again. Seems to  happen every year there now.  The council went round this morning and left sandbags for those in most danger.  Their house has flooded to several feet in 3 separate years and people can't get insurance now. She's absolutely at her wit's end. They lived there nearly 25 years without a single flood and now they happen every year. 

milann

The River Mersey near to me has broken it’s banks in places but they’ve opened the flood gates a couple of miles downstream so hopefully  that’ll sort it. We’re not far from the river but the land rises so we should be safe enough. I’ve tempted fate now haven’t I..🤔😳There are 2 rivers that merge into The Mersey in my town centre and I’ve just seen a photo of one of the smaller rivers with its high bank which has fallen into the river taking trees and the side of a scrap yard with it. The scrap yard has been an eye sore for a while the council has landscaped the area opposite it and it’s lovely- then you see this scrapyard on the opposite bank. 

Sun_Addict

We have flood warnings in place locally but thankfully I live at the top of a hill. I’ve seen photos of places only a couple of miles away but near the river that are already flooded ☹️

Willowtree222

I saw that Milan it's near one of the centres I work at. It's snow covered now where I am just across the canal. 
From constant rain to everywhere covered in snow x

Seasidegal58

My area has missed the recent snow and most of the heavy rains and I live on high ground anyway. My DD and OH have a house in Yorkshire and for a time I was planning to moving to her city on retirement, which is a place very prone to flooding, although her house is away from the danger areas. I often used to to look on rightmove to see how much the houses were and there were some lovely little properties within my price range. When DD saw them she told me not to even consider that particular area as it had flooded terribly a couple of years ago when both the city's rivers had flooded badly and that's why the properties were such a bargain - people were anxious to sell and move out of that area.  Must be awful to either be stuck there with the worry or sell up at a loss. ☹️

Fidelia

Seasidegal58 said:

My area has missed the recent snow and most of the heavy rains and I live on high ground anyway. My DD and OH have a house in Yorkshire and for a time I was planning to moving to her city on retirement, which is a place very prone to flooding, although her house is away from the danger areas. I often used to to look on rightmove to see how much the houses were and there were some lovely little properties within my price range. When DD saw them she told me not to even consider that particular area as it had flooded terribly a couple of years ago when both the city's rivers had flooded badly and that's why the properties were such a bargain - people were anxious to sell and move out of that area.  Must be awful to either be stuck there with the worry or sell up at a loss. ☹️

The trouble is that mortgage lenders are very averse to lending money on flood-prone areas.  If a home has already been flooded, especially more than once like my sister's has, sellers can't give them away.  My sister and her husband were seriously considering downsizing a few years ago once their children had married or established careers and homes elsewhere.  They'd even done some internal improvements to make it more saleable and had it valued.  They hadn't committed to buying another but had seen a couple they quite liked and were seriously considering one of them.  They knew their own would sell quickly, they always did in that area and they were planning on placing it with an estate agent the following week.  Then came the first flood, water and sludge almost up to kitchen worktop level.  The insurers paid for the massive amount of repairs and house values in the area dropped.  They put their move on hold for a while.  It was said it had been a once in a generation event but the next winter flood number 2 came, not quite as much damage as the first but the downstairs plaster all had to come off again, rewiring redone, floors dried out and yet another new kitchen etc fitted. All with months of industrial dehumidifiers drying out.  After the first flood their insurance premiums went up to thousands of pounds but they paid it as they're careful people.    Flood 3 came , even more damage, people in the area were evacuated by dinghy and  insurers then refused to take on them and many others in the area as customers.  The house will  never sell now, they are stuck there forever, worried sick whenever there's heavy rain or snow.

The house had been built in the late 1800s and my sister and BIL had  spent most of their married life in that house with never a sign of a flood but a massive amount of new building on flood plains in the vicinity has obviously been the cause. It was a village when they moved there, now it's like a small town!  The ineptness of planners (and the greed of developers) is beyond belief.

doingitanyway

Interesting posts on floods and flood prone areas. I do feel for those affected.

The area I want to move to has floods so I am scouring the DoE flood maps to see where has flooded in the last 100 years.

I have visited the Hebden Bridge area of West Yorkshire and love it but it is in a valley and near very fast flowing water so floods are a part of life there.

Building on flood plains and also climate change makes floods much more likely and much more frequent...

I hope everyone is safe, dry and warm.

milann

Yes it’s beautiful at Hebden Bridge. I really feel for the homes and businesses there.

Sunshine_girl2

Hope you have survived until the end of the work week HH unscathed . You can look forward to a couple of days of rest and relaxation at home. 

How is your sister getting on ? 

I never think your posts are moany , I look forward to reading them. 

Take care . 

beanielou

Enjoy your weekend.