The flood

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Pretty wet out there eh? Has anybody been personally affected?
Me, my train to Reading was cancelled, and the next one was delayed for 15 minutes. It's pretty much a nightmare.

I see that now Berkshire is in trouble, the powers at be are starting to take things a bit more seriously, or is that just news outlet propaganda?

Grim... · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:56

I'm not sure why people who move onto flood plains get so angry at the government when their house gets flooded.

The village I grew up in flooded at least twice a year, due to the proximity of the brook it was built around. All the houses were built fairly high up, so it wasn't really an issue unless you were desperate to go somewhere (and when you did you just phoned someone with a tractor and asked them to help you out).

As kids we loved it, of course - apart from having to get up early so we could wade up the hill to the pub where the school bus could meet us.

Kern · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:57

Here in Oxford, Abdingdon Road is shut but the Botley Road is currently still open.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

I'm watching the network rail website, and i'll bugger off home after my meetings just after lunch. Getting trapped in Reading isn't likely to happen, but i'd rather not take any chances

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

This is where I got married, on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border. The water really shouldn't be there

Curiosity · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 13:05

This is what happens when we let Take That go on holiday.

Malc · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 13:18

As mentioned elsewhere I can't get the train to Exeter (or more importantly, back from Exeter) which doesn't usually effect me for work, as I get the bus, but if I want to go to the pub after work, I have to get the train. Which I obviously can't at the moment.

Plus my bus is busier (and the roads generally) now, which is annoying.

Malc

Bobbyaro · **Joined:** 18th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 11898

This is what happens when you allow gay marriage, people!

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

Curiosity wrote:

This is what happens when we let Take That go on holiday.

If you'd judged your audience better, that would probably have been hilarious.

Curiosity · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 13:22

Cras wrote:

Curiosity wrote:

This is what happens when we let Take That go on holiday.

If you'd judged your audience better, that would probably have been hilarious.

I'm waiting for MaliA to get here. He'll lap that shit up.

MaliA · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 14:24

Curiosity wrote:

Cras wrote:

Curiosity wrote:

This is what happens when we let Take That go on holiday.

If you'd judged your audience better, that would probably have been hilarious.

I'm waiting for MaliA to get here. He'll lap that shit up.

I did smirk.

Mr Russell · **Joined:** 6th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 12339

I don't even know how they can rhyme 'understood' and 'flood.'

It's like you're putting an extra syllable in there.

Help me out here, Bamba.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

I even put a gaming reference in, and all you can talk about is boy bands.

myp · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 15:40

/Chinny

MrChris · **Joined:** 1st Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 30498

My journey into London this morning was rubbish, and as I can't expect the return journey to be any better it means I'm going to have to give drinks with a mate a miss. Bumholes.

Grim... · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 15:54

Mr Kissyfur wrote:

My journey into London this morning was rubbish, and as I can't expect the return journey to be any better it means I'm going to have to give drinks with a mate a miss.

/checks diary for forgotten entry

FUCKING CHARMING

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

DavPaz · **Joined:** 27th Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 38667

*checks location*

CHARMING

NervousPete · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 16:39

I honestly cannot see dredging making any difference with all this. The actual ground water levels means that its not just the river, the full on water table has just shot up - it's all river now and there's no capacity short of the mississippi that would shift it. This is some unprecedented rainfall going on right now. Not even the well-dredged Thames can handle it. Pointedly.

Plus I'm always more inclined to trust experts-in-their-field than grandstanding politicians when it comes to environmental matters. "Damn Environmental Agency! It's all this red tape upper and middle management to blame! This would never have happened if we'd cut their funding earlier!" I doubt one man-jack of them has actually asked to see the studies or made any effort to find out about dredging and flood plains.

But no, just keep letting people build on places that naturally want to be rivers from time to time. That makes sense.

Mimi · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 26105

The rain decided it was bored of being outside so decided to come in to our house (from above, rather than rising up from below, so I am counting that as a good thing) but I am not really fond of house-rain and wish for it to leave again.

I took a day off work because of the need for a break away from it all, and today the idiot neighbours have decided to DRILL ALL THE THINGS and HAMMER ALL OF THE THINGS, presumably so they can let their share of the house rain run into our flat.

I want to go and have a bath but I am afeared that it will remind me of house rain and not be all that relaxing as there is what sounds like a roughish type of man singing nearby and Russell is at work where it is no doubt quiet and dry.

Maybe if he reads this he can bring me something home depending on where he is going (Tesco: sunbakes or Muller Light yoghurt/pudding, Morrissons: Quorn fajita strips, Asda: bra) :kiss:

Curiosity · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 16:52

Cras wrote:

:this:

And to think, I introduced him to a new friend over the weekend!

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

Mr Dave · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 16:58

Now now, it's a confusing time for him. He only recently found out he was married to Crasters sister, after all.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Look, there is almost two inches of water! I'm going to have to work from home tomorrow I think

GovernmentYard · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 5318

Sat here in Hull enjoying a lovely sunny day and remembering 2007 when the entire city flooded and people died and no-one anywhere else in the UK gave a tenth of shit. It wasn't on the news much at all, I had to show my colleagues in Wales specific photos before they'd believe me.

I don't wish flooding on anyone, but maybe now there's a few people in the South might have a degree of sympathy when they hear about it happening up here.

For the record, we didn't choose to live on a flood plain, it's what we can afford at the moment.

Bamba · **Joined:** 25th Jul, 2010 **Posts:** 11128

GovernmentYard wrote:

Sat here in Hull enjoying a lovely sunny day and remembering 2007 when the entire city flooded and people died and no-one anywhere else in the UK gave a tenth of shit.

If it helps, I don't give any fraction of a shit this time round either?

GazChap · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 17:50

Shrewsbury's fecked, but not as bad as Somerset etc.

Grim... · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 17:56

GazChap wrote:

Shrewsbury's fecked, but not as bad as Somerset etc.

Is that metal thing holding the water back? It looked like it was from the angle, but that would be mightily impressive if so.

GazChap · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 18:33

Yeah, they're flood defences that can be completely removed when things are normal, and hastily put up by the EA when water starts to encroach.

KovacsC · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 18:38

Have them in ironbridge too

asfish · **Joined:** 5th Dec, 2010 **Posts:** 3353

Quote:

I see that now Berkshire is in trouble, the powers at be are starting to take things a bit more seriously, or is that just news outlet propaganda?

Not at all the flooding was always 2nd or 3rd on the BBC, now its been top of the page all day

Shock horror its reached Berkshire where 99% of the people living in houses by the Thames are millionaires.

I live in Berkshire myself but on a hill :DD

If you can spend millions on a house by the river then you can afford some flood defenses. Rich people are tights as fuck over stuff like this, I've been to streets were houses are a minimum 3 million rising all the way to 15 million and the private road is like a cart track as everyone is too tight to pay for their part of the road.

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5413

I was mildly inconvenienced by the Worcester flooding as I couldn't walk along the river eating my chips on Saturday, and then yesterday I had to turn round and find a different route to Shelsley Walsh for breakfast. Looking at the pattern that's forming, I believe the weather is trying to tell me to eat less.

Curiosity · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 19:49

GazChap wrote:

Yeah, they're flood defences that can be completely removed when things are normal, and hastily put up by the EA when water starts to encroach.

Do they come with in-app purchases?

MrChris · **Joined:** 1st Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 30498

4 hours to get home >:(

And yes, I should have arranged to see you lot, clearly. Or, OR, I wanted to be sober enough to get home on the 8.45 train.

I'v been told I can have a pass one weekend soon to come to London of a weekend, so Cras, let me know your availability.

NervousPete · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 21:59

GovernmentYard wrote:

Sat here in Hull enjoying a lovely sunny day and remembering 2007 when the entire city flooded and people died and no-one anywhere else in the UK gave a tenth of shit. It wasn't on the news much at all, I had to show my colleagues in Wales specific photos before they'd believe me.

I don't wish flooding on anyone, but maybe now there's a few people in the South might have a degree of sympathy when they hear about it happening up here.

For the record, we didn't choose to live on a flood plain, it's what we can afford at the moment.

Respected weatherman Paul Hudson agrees with you:

Quote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulhudson/p ... in-context

With much more rainfall on the way in the coming days across all parts of the UK, this winter is certain to end up one of the wettest ever recorded.

The level of coverage in the media of the resulting flooding across the UK has been virtually unprecedented in the last few weeks.

The pictures of extensive flooding in Somerset, and the battering our coast has received, particularly in Cornwall, have been breath-taking.

But it is worth putting the current flood in context, and as distressing as it is to be flooded, the number of properties affected in the south of the UK is tiny compared to other floods in previous years.

For example, up until this weekend the total number of properties affected by floodwater in Somerset in the last few weeks is 40.

But during the coastal surge in early December last year, 688 properties were flooded along the Yorkshire coast alone, and according to the Environment Agency, flood defences protected 66,000 properties in the Yorkshire and Humber area at that time.

Since last week, between 800 and 900 properties have flooded in the UK, primarily in southern Britain.

Although this number may rise significantly in the next few days, particularly with the Thames now at record levels in relatively highly populated parts of Berkshire and Surrey, it is still comparatively small compared to the last big flood to hit the UK.

That was In June 2007 and far more people were affected; in the Yorkshire and Humber region alone, a staggering 23,479 homes were flooded, along with 3,718 businesses.

asfish · **Joined:** 5th Dec, 2010 **Posts:** 3353

Maybe that UKIP Councillor was right and the floods are God's punishment for the government passing gay marriage laws.

Well at least he has time on his hands now to build an Ark

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Advice from First Great Western is not to travel today. Works for me! <goes back to bed>

GazChap · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:27

I've had three media outlets contact me this morning and it's not even 9.30.

Grim... · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:33

Gazchap, yesterday.

MrChris · **Joined:** 1st Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 30498

Hugely amused that Somerset has been an inland sea for a month and left to it, but the second that the hjome counties get a little bit wet the government does something. I'm sure it's just coincidental to the armed forces getting deployed that one of the affected constituencies is the Defence Secretary's.

Bobbyaro · **Joined:** 18th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 11898

The armed forces were sent to Somerset ages ago!

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

Also, Somerset's an entirely empty wasteland.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Plus they tried calling someone in London, but nobody could understand what they were saying.

Curiosity · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:13

Bobbyaro wrote:

The armed forces were sent to Somerset ages ago!

Yes, but that was to quell the unruly natives.

zaphod79 · **Joined:** 16th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 14518

http://www.abingdonblog.co.uk/

For those who know the area - Tesco at Abingdon last night

"High tide" has passed for the day but it is expected to be worse tonight

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

I used to live a few hundred yards from there

Grim... · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:50

And then your house got washed away?

MaliA · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 14:06

Trooper wrote:

I used to live a few hundred yards from there

Me too! Wilsham road!

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Anna Pavlova Close. Yes it was a stupid road name.

myp · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 14:09

Trooper wrote:

Anna Pavlova Close. Yes it was a stupid road name.

I bet your house was salivatingly nice.

Be Excellent To Each Other

The flood
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Be Excellent To Each Other

The flood stay out of the library...

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The flood
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