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UK Floods

Muramasa18Muramasa18 Registered User regular
edited July 2007 in Debate and/or Discourse
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6911226.stm

So there's pretty major flooding going on in parts of the UK right now. Anyone else here been affected? I haven't been flooded, but some towns close by have been completely shut off by flood waters. Also, a large water pumping/treatment facility has been shut down due to the floods, and 350,000 people (including me) are now without water. This could last anywhere from 72 hours up to 2 weeks!

I find it funny that I lived in Florida for six years, and in all the hurricanes I sat through there was never anything like this. Soon as I move back? Boom. Fucked.

These floods are apparently the worst the country's seen in 200 years. Anyone else here been hit?

Muramasa18 on
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Posts

  • saint2esaint2e Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I'm down in Surrey, and haven't been affected yet. However, my mate in Swindon was saying he had a tough time getting around over the weekend on the roads.

    saint2e on
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  • Andrew_JayAndrew_Jay Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Heh, my Dad is also in Woking and was just telling me about the floods on the phone yesterday. He said he hadn't been affected either, of course.

    Andrew_Jay on
  • ColdredColdred Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Reading is fine at the moment, although there were traffic warnings that the Thames could flood that area. I think (hope) that I'm fairly safe where I am.

    Coldred on
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  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Harry Potter arrived in the post on time. Things can't be that bad.

    Janson on
  • saint2esaint2e Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Yeah, how is Sheffield, Janson? Are you living up a bit elevated from the town proper still?

    saint2e on
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  • ColdredColdred Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Janson wrote: »
    Harry Potter arrived in the post on time. Things can't be that bad.

    The Post will not be stopped by floods! Normal weather though, that gets them every-time.

    Coldred on
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  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Oh, yeah, I'm fine, both work + my house are on a hill.

    Sheffield - if you live in the valleys it's very, very bad, if you live on the hills, you get to laugh.

    The valley dwellers get their revenge when it snows, though.

    Anyway, Sheffield hasn't flooded again since earlier this month - it's just damp.

    Janson on
  • Andrew_JayAndrew_Jay Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Coldred wrote: »
    Janson wrote: »
    Harry Potter arrived in the post on time. Things can't be that bad.
    The Post will not be stopped by floods! Normal weather though, that gets them every-time.
    Clearly Saint2e's friend in Swindon doesn't have access to a flying broom.

    Andrew_Jay on
  • ColdredColdred Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Poor Gordon. First incompetent terrorists, now nationwide flooding. What a good start.

    Coldred on
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  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I'm not exactly a Mr Brown fan.

    Anyway, let's have pictures!

    This was Sheffield last month:

    _42428118_catcliffe_pa416.jpg

    _42425188_hillsborough_pa_416.jpg

    _42424522_wicker_sheff_getty_220.jpg

    This is Gloucestershire this month:

    _44014086_glo_sun_aerial.jpg

    _44013920_glo_sun_tekes_signpost.jpg

    _44013857_glo_sun_tewkesbury_cars.jpg

    Janson on
  • ColdredColdred Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Janson wrote: »
    I'm not exactly a Mr Brown fan.

    :cry:

    Coldred on
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  • Muramasa18Muramasa18 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Yeah I live on a hill so I'm not flooded, but I want my water back :(

    Oh well, at least the power's still on. Knock on wood.

    Muramasa18 on
  • DarkWarriorDarkWarrior __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    Has anyone rung Kevin Costner yet?

    DarkWarrior on
  • Nexus ZeroNexus Zero Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Last year we had a great summer and I became an advocate for global warming. Now? Now global warming fucking sucks. We've been pretty lucky where I live, though our garden and garage flooded the other day even though we're at the very top of a hill because our driveway is higher at the road than our house. A friend of mine was driving home from Uni the other day and had to sleep at the side of a flooded motorway in his car which sucks.

    Nexus Zero on
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  • Muramasa18Muramasa18 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    So we'll know in a few minutes if the power station will hold up. If it doesn't, 600,00 people lose power. Worst case scenario, I lose power and water for up to 2 weeks.

    I am not a happy camper!

    Muramasa18 on
  • DarkWarriorDarkWarrior __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    Muramasa18 wrote: »
    So we'll know in a few minutes if the power station will hold up. If it doesn't, 600,00 people lose power. Worst case scenario, I lose power and water for up to 2 weeks.

    I am not a happy camper!

    Put on a speedo, grab a rake and become king of your watery hell.

    DarkWarrior on
  • bombardierbombardier Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited July 2007
    So what causes all the flooding? Too much development? Or would it just flood anyways from unusually high rainfall?

    bombardier on
  • ÆthelredÆthelred Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Go go Peak District.


    In answer to your question: lots of houses are built on flood plains, but yeah, the huge amounts of rainfall pretty much throw everything askew.

    _1292311_newroad300.jpg

    Scenic lake or cricket pitch? You decide!

    Æthelred on
    pokes: 1505 8032 8399
  • Squirminator2kSquirminator2k they/them North Hollywood, CARegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    The Lord is punishing the British for letting me leave. Blair saw it coming - he quit the day after I flew out.

    In all seriousness, this is rather distressing. Has anyone heard about Luton? I have family there and I do hope they're alright.

    Squirminator2k on
    Jump Leads - a scifi-comedy audiodrama podcast
  • saint2esaint2e Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Luton, from what I've heard, is still flood-free. It's when you get up to the Midlands/West Midlands, and that's where the trouble starts.

    saint2e on
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  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I wish I could go out to Ladybower and see if the water is overflowing and draining into the GIANT PLUGHOLES

    because GIANT PLUGHOLES

    Anyway, yes, building on flood plains - but this is also highly unusual and only happens once every 50 years or so. Here's a more technical explanation:
    He said a broad band of low pressure had been sitting across the UK, pushing the jet stream - a ribbon of fast moving air in the upper atmosphere - further south than usual, keeping high pressure and settled weather away from the UK.

    "In a normal summer the jet stream is to the north of the UK. This allows the Azores high to build across the UK and bring settled and more typical summer weather for the UK," said Mr Corbett.

    The rain has been so intense due to the combination of warm moist air, the position of the jet stream and the fact that the storms have been relatively slow to move away, says Paul Davies, chief forecaster at the Met Office.

    Janson on
  • GorakGorak Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I'm in East Anglia which is basically reclaimed from swampland so we've got pretty good drainage and it's so flat that it takes quite a bit of water to get any serious flooding.
    Janson wrote: »
    I'm not exactly a Mr Brown fan.

    Seconded.

    Gorak on
  • Red or AliveRed or Alive Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I live in the west of Scotland. In a bizarre reversal of usual trends, yesterday was the best day of the Summer so far.

    Glorious, so it was. Pity I was working through most of it.

    Red or Alive on
  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I'm down south in Gosport/Isle of Wight at the moment, and while the weather has been fairly grotty for summer, there's no flooding. The combination of heavy rain and bright sunshine is turning out to be pretty good for the gardeners down here.

    Rhesus Positive on
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  • Muramasa18Muramasa18 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It's sunny today which is some relief, but the waters are supposed to be peaking today and only then starting to recede. Man, not having running water kinda blows.

    Muramasa18 on
  • Anarchy Rules!Anarchy Rules! Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Whooo go Suffolk no floods here suckers!

    In your opinions are the floods caused by global warming or a freak event?

    Anarchy Rules! on
  • BingoBingo Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    My house in the UK is on a big hill, so... pfft :)

    As for Sheffield being flooded, I'm sure that has caused a billion pounds worth of improvements.


    Has Kent submerged yet? If not... why not?


    :)

    Bingo on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    woot woot, Oxfordshire in the.. thread

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2007/07/21/flood_nos__feature.shtml

    check out the galleries :D Somehow, my village was completely unscathed, but basically everywhere else was various amounts of underwater. Numerous local towns and villages getting on the national news, too.

    darleysam on
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  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Bingo wrote: »
    My house in the UK is on a big hill, so... pfft :)

    As for Sheffield being flooded, I'm sure that has caused a billion pounds worth of improvements.


    Has Kent submerged yet? If not... why not?


    :)

    Oh no you don't :P

    Sheffield's a decent city and is being reworked in several places. It's going to turn out to be really nice.

    And Kent isn't called the garden of England for nothing, you know.

    Janson on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    it's raining again! hold on to your (three) sandbags :|

    darleysam on
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  • JansonJanson Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Oh...and I forgot my umbrella.

    I still haven't learnt.

    Janson on
  • #14#14 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I am going on holiday to the UK next week. I was planning on visiting Oxford.

    That's probably a bad idea now?

    #14 on
  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    #14 wrote: »
    I am going on holiday to the UK next week. I was planning on visiting Oxford.

    That's probably a bad idea now?

    Bring a wetsuit... Its summer here after all.

    Fallingman on
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  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Janson wrote: »
    Oh...and I forgot my umbrella.

    I still haven't learnt.

    on friday, i got completely soaked through. Yesterday, i was in a hurry and looked out the window, and thought "nah, i'll be fine without a jumper, it's not raining", failing to heed the ominous clouds about 3ft out of view. I regretted that decision.

    And #14, maybe so right now. It'll probably subside in a few weeks, but at the moment, it's a real headache for people looking to go anywhere. Roads are changing every day, and you'll probably be asked by a thousand different roving reporters if you think the government should've done more to prevent the rainfall or something.

    darleysam on
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  • #14#14 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    darleysam wrote: »
    Janson wrote: »
    Oh...and I forgot my umbrella.

    I still haven't learnt.

    on friday, i got completely soaked through. Yesterday, i was in a hurry and looked out the window, and thought "nah, i'll be fine without a jumper, it's not raining", failing to heed the ominous clouds about 3ft out of view. I regretted that decision.

    And #14, maybe so right now. It'll probably subside in a few weeks, but at the moment, it's a real headache for people looking to go anywhere. Roads are changing every day, and you'll probably be asked by a thousand different roving reporters if you think the government should've done more to prevent the rainfall or something.

    While that is actually pretty cool, I think I just might skip Oxford. Maybe next year.

    #14 on
  • EdcrabEdcrab Actually a hack Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Carlisle avoided the worst of it this time. Karma!

    ...what for I don't know, but it's probably karma. Last time the Eden flooded and deluged the city centre...

    Edcrab on
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  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    darleysam wrote: »
    Janson wrote: »
    Oh...and I forgot my umbrella.

    I still haven't learnt.

    on friday, i got completely soaked through. Yesterday, i was in a hurry and looked out the window, and thought "nah, i'll be fine without a jumper, it's not raining", failing to heed the ominous clouds about 3ft out of view. I regretted that decision.

    And #14, maybe so right now. It'll probably subside in a few weeks, but at the moment, it's a real headache for people looking to go anywhere. Roads are changing every day, and you'll probably be asked by a thousand different roving reporters if you think the government should've done more to prevent the rainfall or something.

    I'm with the reporters.
    We all know that the goverment has weather-changing super weapons. How dare they withold it from us!

    Now watch for all the politicians with their knee-jerk poilitics... "I think we should have a deticated flood response unit.... Vote for me!"

    Fallingman on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    yeah, don't know about anywhere else, but it's being thrown down with the vengeance of an angry god here, at the moment. Expect more flood warnings shortly.

    darleysam on
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  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    darleysam wrote: »
    yeah, don't know about anywhere else, but it's being thrown down with the vengeance of an angry god here, at the moment. Expect more flood warnings shortly.

    Only really just started in London.

    Fallingman on
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  • Squirminator2kSquirminator2k they/them North Hollywood, CARegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Janson wrote: »
    Bingo wrote: »
    My house in the UK is on a big hill, so... pfft :)

    As for Sheffield being flooded, I'm sure that has caused a billion pounds worth of improvements.


    Has Kent submerged yet? If not... why not?


    :)

    Oh no you don't :P

    Sheffield's a decent city and is being reworked in several places. It's going to turn out to be really nice.

    And Kent isn't called the garden of England for nothing, you know.

    Most of my UK-based readers are from Sheffield for some inexplicable reason. If the city goes under, who will read my webcomic then?

    My sister reports minimal flooding in Luton. A couple of roads are blocked off and that's about it. Nothing interesting ever happens in Luton/

    Squirminator2k on
    Jump Leads - a scifi-comedy audiodrama podcast
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