Flooding

Willow500 many thanks for the info.

Thames Water want to use our flood plain to build a new reservoir that will be one of the largest in Europe and bigger than Kielder Water.

They will build flood alleviation ponds - the other side of the reservoir to our village

Same thing happened here chewbacca, we now have an artificial flood plain across the river that was never needed before the houses were built. Of course people need homes but can there not be just some sense over where they are built. Yes, sigh indeed.

In our village we have a natural flood plain, alongside a river, that has worked very efficiently for millennia. But 3 years ago a building developer decided that, with new technology, he could build 70 houses on it with no problem at all. He felled almost every tree in the area, installed flooding tanks, built flood walls and laid tonnes of concrete. Of those 70 houses, only 8 have so far been sold and they've had huge problems in getting house insurance. For some reason, the local council is thunderstruck that extensive flood damage is now further down river, resulting in farmers being unable to graze cattle and sheep because their fields are now lakes. It hasn't stopped them from granting building permission for another 70 houses on the other side of the river though. sigh

Thanks ayse

I think Australia is praying for rain and here in the UK people hoping it will stop.

Travelsofar there is an appeal by South Yorkshire which has now raised £98k of the £100k target - I'm not sure if I'm allowed to show links but it's www.justgiving.com/campaign/syfloods?fbclid=IwAR13uCjmiNl_8tDfBHPh4HGIN2r4afDsZBTbefLj45RBRKFe3dzBINi5GsY

however they have also now set up another specifically for Fishlake which has been the worst affected place www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/fishlakeflood?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socpledgedesktop&utm_content=fishlakeflood&utm_campaign=post-pledge-desktop&utm_term=naAPyMqvm&fbclid=IwAR3zdqbXivRr5rXDXMOepbAbrSOkkVYS9eyhRcMs_fRa_-7jo2mMZHtT9RU

I’m just relieved that DD2 and family are not still in NW Sydney where many schools are closed. They lived with the bush just over the road and the threat of fire always present. For anyone with family in OZ or California, I hope they stay safe.

Being flooded out is such a distressing experience and this so close to Christmas makes it even worse. All those people, whether remaining in their homes or not, need all our sympathy.

Soda pop, I agree, climate changes look in full flow and it’s scary.

I feel your pain, GracesGranMK3. My son and his fiancee are in Sydney, too. Keep needing reassurance they're OK.

I know the area of Yorkshire affected by the current floods. It lies in a very flat low lying area around the Humber estuary and all the rivers running through it run between tall embankments. I think it is land that has been reclaimed and drained from marsh land in the 18/19th centuries.

It is land that will be the first to be lost if Global warning leads to a rise of more than a couple of feet in water levels. The name, Fishlake, is an indication of what the landscape used to be.

What is needed is not local flood relief measures, at least only in the short term, but large regional strategies as to whether these low lying areas are protectable and whether a phased rehoming and reflooding, will help to protect the land directly behind it on slightly higher ground.

Willow I heard one householder whose home had been flooded (I think in Yorkshire) who was blaming flood defences further up the river for their predicament.
I know this happened on the Thames a few years ago, flood defences in one area caused flooding further down. Someone I know, who was an expert and worked in that area, said that they did warn that this would happen but the powers that be pressed ahead with the scheme anyway.

That, coupled with the huge amount of building on flood plains when LAs were warned not to give planning permission for such building over years, has exacerbated the problems of increased rainfall.
This all needs a huge re-think.

Does anyone know if there is a flood disaster appeal for these poor people. On the mouth of Christmas it must be heartbreaking to see our home ruineded. It is the wider effect as well. How are they getting to work, are companies able to pay those unable to get there, will small companies fold if they have no production and are having to pay people not working, what about those who had no insurance due to hardship and poverty, the children are missing schooling and the stress for parents and the vulnerable must be awful. It is truely a terrible thing and i feel for these poor people.

The world seems all out of kilter with the water sloshing from one side and leaving the other bone dry. I’m reading messages from my FB pen friend near Goffs Harbour in NSW which sound really alarming especially when there are news reports that some have left it too late to evacuate and just have to shelter the best they can.

At least around here they seem to have stopped building on flood plains, but I feel for those who bought those lovely new houses a few years ago which are now flooded and ruined.

I feel so sorry for all those affected by the flooding, it must be devastating to see your home ruined like that quite apart from all the health and safety issues. The infrastructure is not able to cope with current levels of housing etc. Local councils and authorities are not investing either. It's really strange the UK is flooding whilst Australia and USA are battling fires, the world is in a state of flux.

Apparently we are liable to flooding. We have a tiny stream beside our house. This comes down from the hills and is usually pretty empty but is gushing at the moment. Our neighbours are responsible for keeping it clear but many have built decking over it. Fortunately our house is set a little higher than our neighbours but it is a worry.

Many of the fields between ourselves and Leicester are underwater.

The floods nearby are devastating - it happened in 2007 but I think it's worse this time. My heart goes out to the poor people who have been affected - some have no insurance or their insurance doesn't cover them for flooding but even with insurance it will take months for them to get back into their homes. We have red flood alerts about a mile away and it's now pouring down again .

The surrounding communities have been amazing collecting donations and helping where they can - Tescos made a huge delivery too. The fund set up to help has raised nearly £58k so far. Sadly I think this will not be the last time we see such devastation.

I met someone the other evening whose house had been flooded, along with the whole village. They are staying with relatives and their 94 year old mother is having to sleep on the sofa as she cannot get up the stairs there.
We offered help but they said that everyone has been very kind with offers.

There were fires all around where we were in Australia and a nearby farm lost everything except the house. It has been reported that a farmer in NSW has been fined $1m for back burning which is the traditional way to stop the fire spreading and a method that firefighters use in other states.

I’m glad Monica.

Summerlove The bank of earth the railway is laid on is quite substantial. We are otherwise just above the flood zone, so for us the main problem is water flowing off the fields and down the hill when the ground is saturated and the railway embankment stops that reaching us, ground water flooding is less of a problem. However our road floods as it is several feet lower than the houses and 2007 we returned from holiday and had to park our car at the local pub and walk the last 30 or 40 yards to our house because the flooded road was too deep to drive through safely.

We missed flooding by a squeak but about 50 houses in the village were flooded and several families were out of their houses for over a year. They have since built several hundred more houses on the flood plain in the village!!!!!

My son has now spoken (instead of messaging) to my daughter and says it's not so bad and he wonders if we are seeing archived footage. At this point, I hope we are.

One of my friends, years ago, was flooded out and it took the best part of a year to get back into her house. It's soul-destroying for those poor people.

I cannot imagine how awful it must be for those caught up in the floods, houses up to the sill levels with dirty water, electrics and sewerage all off, belongings sodden and destroyed. And, after this, likely no possibility of afffordable insurance. Didn't Cameron promise some sort of subsidy for those who were unable to afford house insurance? I wonder if that is still available. It really isn't a matter of drains, Victorian or otherwise; no area can absorb the amount of rain which fell in those areas in a couple of days, but undoubtedly, keeping drainage ditches clear and functioning can help.

So sorry for those who have been flooded (again) and for those in Australia and California who have wildfires to contend with. Who says that climate change is not happening? Not those who are suffering, I expect.

We`ve lived on a canal bank for 34 years now, and although Boston has suffered flooding at least 3 times, we`ve never had any problems with the canal, or drain, as they`re called around here.

oopsminty, I wonder about journalists too! I heard one the other day saying that there was severe flooding in the north of the country - Nottinghamshire in particular!!

We’ve a little tidal river behind our fence. It’s flowing so quickly whether low or high tide and I understand it has overtopped at the sluice gates controlling the sea end. Fortunately no homes there. There’s a man made flood plain the other side to us, quietly filling and doing it’s job thank goodness. The ground is sodden, more heavy rain forecast and as MOnica says this is a danger. I feel so sorry for those with flooded homes and businesses, a worrying and frightening time for them.