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[quote user="Théière"]Neither of us are old enough but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. As I said at the start there was a TV program over 5 years ago which showed this occurs every few hundred years and that it was due again very soon.  Just like Mr Cameroron The public only hear what they want to, they have very short memories and that's it.  It has been happening many many times thankfully over a long period since it was that bad before, but with so many more houses taking up flood plains and driveways and roads the water will indeed hang around a lot longer.  Shame they don't dig out that old program it would make interesting viewing.

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In fairness, Tomorrow's World told us that by now we'd all be wearing Jet Packs, and Michael Fish once told us there wasn't a hurricane coming. The Daily Mail tells us that stuff causes cancer, then a few weeks later they tell us it doesn't. We're bombarded with so much in the way of "predictions", some based on very solid data, others on spurious speculation, that we simply can't decide which to believe or plan for.

In the midst of the financial disaster of the past few years, I can just imagine the flak that governments of either side would have faced if they'd said "Yes, we know everyone's practically potless and the Government is in hock up to its eyeballs, but hey, we can't prop up the NHS or schools or pensioners or the needy, 'cos we have to spend a few gazillion on flood defences, just in case something awful happens sometime in the next few years. There would have been a HUGE outcry, and I'd bet my new wellies on that.

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[quote user="dwmcn"]

Betty,

Oh dear, I don't watch The One Show.

David

[/quote]

Me neither; can't stand Matt Baker and especially Alex Jones.

OH said, oh they picked that girl literally off the streets of Cowbridge to work on the show!

I reply tartly, yeah, she sounds like she's been picked off the streets all right![6]

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[quote user="You can call me Betty"][quote user="Théière"]Neither of us are old enough but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. As I said at the start there was a TV program over 5 years ago which showed this occurs every few hundred years and that it was due again very soon.  Just like Mr Cameroron The public only hear what they want to, they have very short memories and that's it.  It has been happening many many times thankfully over a long period since it was that bad before, but with so many more houses taking up flood plains and driveways and roads the water will indeed hang around a lot longer.  Shame they don't dig out that old program it would make interesting viewing.

[/quote]

In fairness, Tomorrow's World told us that by now we'd all be wearing Jet Packs, and Michael Fish once told us there wasn't a hurricane coming. The Daily Mail tells us that stuff causes cancer, then a few weeks later they tell us it doesn't. We're bombarded with so much in the way of "predictions", some based on very solid data, others on spurious speculation, that we simply can't decide which to believe or plan for.

In the midst of the financial disaster of the past few years, I can just imagine the flak that governments of either side would have faced if they'd said "Yes, we know everyone's practically potless and the Government is in hock up to its eyeballs, but hey, we can't prop up the NHS or schools or pensioners or the needy, 'cos we have to spend a few gazillion on flood defences, just in case something awful happens sometime in the next few years. There would have been a HUGE outcry, and I'd bet my new wellies on that.

[/quote]

As I said, that program was on around 5 years ago so unlike Tomorrows world which was science fiction they had actually researched the facts and based on previous data they predicted this one would be a bigun.  The Michael fish one was a cracker, we were due to take the boats to windermere for water skiing and I caught a radio program that described in detail the impending hurricane and that was in the middle of the week. I told all my friends about it and we couldn't get out of the roads for fallen trees  (no one likes a smart ass) ;-)

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Gosh, busy for a couple of days, with a "gastro" over the w/e and no BBC (yes, we are in the affected area and no new dish till the end of the month) it is amazing how far this thread has travelled since I last looked.

As someone who has a house (the one for sale, some of you will remember) in a flood prone area here in France, I can entirely empathise with Betty and those affected.  We've watched rivers rising too many times!

I spoke to my father near Cambridge (90 and probably seen it all) earlier today, he says it is raining, windy, thoroughly unpleasant, but as my niece says, we're in the fens, which they made to cope with water ......!!!  So why not the Somerset levels too?????

We're missing out on pics from the TV, but it is obvious that this is a bit like '99 down here - entirely (or almost) unprecedented.  Agreed it has been very wet, and the Somerset levels and the Thames are - sorry - level and low lying... but I still believe the govt response has been poor.  Today father said, now it's getting close to London they'll do something, and  - they've finally realised that the only service who can help is the navy (he was naval in the war, hence biased) , but it you think about it, what do you need with floods?  People who are used to messing about in boats.

Good luck to all in difficulty, danger, and let us hope for some improvement - soon!

Bon courage

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I'm here! Morning all! Bit of a sleepless night, but there's no damp smell and the water under our manhole in the back garden has dropped a little. It's the calm before yet another storm, as we are due more rain, of course, but the river levels have dropped overnight again, which is hopefully a sign that the ground water is also managing to drain back enough to allow room for any further rainfall. The action has moved downriver a bit, to Staines and its environs, but we're being issued with repeated warnings not to be complacent (as if!) and I'm off shortly for my now regular daily walk round the village to see what's got better, or worse, or stayed the same. Now the poor folk of Staines are being inundated and evacuated and we've already been told that once the rain gives us respite, it will be at least 7-10 days before the floods in the village centre are expected to start to dissipate. The army are here in force and are dishing out more sandbags as fast as they can fill them.

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Apparently there are soldiers in both Maidenhead and Cookham...and as it happens it's my day for visiting my mother ......:-)

Stay dry Betty.....

Btw...there has been such a good local response for things like toys, sheets, towels, food for flood victims that people have been asked to stop donating.....
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I think the response from people outside the affected areas has been really fantastic and a little overwhelming. Just been checking the Wraysbury facebook page and they are getting so many offers of help and support that they're almost running a "waiting list" of helpers and things they need. People from an awfully long way away have been offering to come and help. It's great that there's so much kindness still around.

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[quote user="You can call me Betty"]I think the response from people outside the affected areas has been really fantastic and a little overwhelming. Just been checking the Wraysbury facebook page and they are getting so many offers of help and support that they're almost running a "waiting list" of helpers and things they need. People from an awfully long way away have been offering to come and help. It's great that there's so much kindness still around.

[/quote]

You see all that media attention has brought out the best in mankind even though they were over egging it.

I used to dive the Wraysbury reservoir a few years ago.  probably couldn't find it now.

 

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Betty, it's so good to hear that things seem a little better where you are - if only for the time being. It's good to have our own reporter on the spot, as it were - sorry you're in prime position of course. I feel a bit cut off from it all in France and without TV, but I do listen to R4 and look on the newspaper websites to keep abreast.

I heard on R4 this morning that there were no trains from Paddington to Reading, and I know there have been problems between Oxford and Didcot. Two main roads in to Oxford have kept flooding according to a friend who lives outside and needs to get in to the city to work. Also lots of stretches of motorway closed today. A friend at Tamworth had to get to Stoke with her son to have a check up after a bad accident, and said how dreadful it was on the roads to and from Stoke and they were thankful to get home in one piece.

Take care Betty and anybody else who's having such bad weather.

Edited to add what I've just herad from a friend in Stafford:

She heard a massive crash outside in the middle of the night and ran out to find the neighbours

metal shed , which she said must have been heavy as it was full of stuff, had been

blown up into the air and ended up acoss the other side of their garden

with the doors and roof ripped off in the process.

Also Crewe railway station had to be abandoned when the roof blew off and felt was blowing onto the power lines was causing fires. Crazy weather!

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[quote user="Théière"]

I used to dive the Wraysbury reservoir a few years ago.  probably couldn't find it now.

 

[/quote]

Me too...Now I'm offering my drysuit out on loan to those who need it most. I think you could dive most of Wraysbury at the moment.

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Luckily we haven't had any power cuts, unlike some of our neighbours. It's weird in our road, as the load is spread in a bizarre way which means our next-door neighbours can have a power cut and we don't. Even more strange, there's a house opposite that's divided into flats, and one flat can have no power whilst another is fine!

Anyway, just popped out for a quick update, and the waters have dropped, dramatically. The village centre has grass where yesterday there were several feet of water.

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We have all manner of hunky rescuers now, not just the army but the fire brigade (who have ladders, too). However, I fear any attempts at tree climbing would now be spotted as the ruse they are, as we have a much-improved ground-to-water ratio this afternoon.

If the skies stay clear tonight, and tomorrow's rain is lighter than forecast, then things are looking up in a big way.

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I hope that things are better than forecast.

It's been such a lovely day here; I drove to Matlock through lovely countryside in beautiful sunshine feeling quite guilty.

Funnily enough, I've been reading some manorial records in which villagers were being fined 6d a go for failing to scour their ditches.

Good luck for tonight Betty.

Hoddy
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