Thursday 13 October 2011

British Weather

Originally posted 26th June 2007 on MySpace

I don't know how many of you know what's happened with the weather in theYorkshire area so I thought I would blog my experiences….

First of all… I am ok. My house is high up on a hill and I am extremely lucky it hasn't been touched. As far as I know all my friends are ok, however a very dear friend of mine called me last night to say her house was ankle deep in water. She only moved there with her mother a matter of weeks ago and I just can't imagine how they are feeling this morning. I know there are others that I haven't been able to contact who are having the same problem. My thoughts are with you all...

In Hessle – just a couple of miles from where I used to live and where my parents still live -  a young man died in a drain while the emergency services fought for hours to rescue him. He was just trying to unblock it so his grandfathers house wouldn't flood. It's a terribly distressing image and something I just can't get out of my head this morning. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and the emergency services that tried so hard to rescue him this morning.

The drive home last night was just horrendous. I live just 6 miles from where I work yet the journey took over 3 hours. I had to drive through nearly a foot of water at one point all the time praying my car would just keep going (she did!!!). Phil, who delivers gas canisters to pubs, cafes and restaurants to carbonate the beer and soft drinks, had spent most of the day in an area of Rotherham called Parkgate, and also at Meadowhall. Within a couple of hours of him leaving, Parkgate was under 6 feet of water and the River Don at Meadowhall burst its banks turning all roads into rivers.

To be truthful I have never seen anything like it. This morning it's like something out of a disaster movie. My drive to work was nearby an area of Sheffield called Brightside which is virtually next to Meadowhall. The area was just one big river last night. This morning the waters have subsided enough to drive nearby but there are cars and debris everywhere. Cars have been driven into the most bizarre of places just so the owners could keep them out of the water. Cars have been left with doors hanging open, giving the appearance that their owners only had seconds to get out of the water's path.

So this morning… my heart goes out to all of you whose homes and possessions have been damaged by the floods and whose places of work have suffered the same fate. This is the 3rd time in 2 weeks this has happened, although this is the worst of the 3 times, and in a 1st world country it is just not acceptable. For the amount we all pay in Council Tax our local councils should be doing more than just taking our money – they should be out clearing drains on a regular basis rather than as a panic measure when the water is rising. They should be stopping developers building on the traditional flood planes as when the rains come there is no no-where for the water to go. Most of all… they should have known this was coming and done more about it. The weather forecasters had said heavy rains were on their way yet still the council seem to be in a state of shock at what has happened. It is pathetic and we deserve better!

I have attached some links below in case any of you are interested in reading more

These are general overviews of the picture just a mile or so from my house, with some terrifying pictures:


The story of the man in the drain

Please take care everyone and I'll talk soon

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