UK Floods

[wayneL]

350,000 people without running water (ironic hey)

Nearly lost power to 500,000 homes that could have been out for 3 months.

2.5 Billion pounds worth of damage so far

AND I'M SUPPOSED TO BE MOVING TO THE WORST AFFECTED AREAS AT THE END OF NEXT MONTH,

 

[doctorj]

I thought I was seeing double for a second.

No second thoughts about leaving sunny Geraldton? I was up there again on the weekend and each time I'm there I notice it inching ever closer to somewhere that is liveable. A lot of flash homes on the elevated parts of surburbia there now...

 

[Smurf1976]

Any chance of sending a bit of it to the parts of Australia that are still in drought?

 

[wayneL]

I thought I was seeing double for a second.

No second thoughts about leaving sunny Geraldton? I was up there again on the weekend and each time I'm there I notice it inching ever closer to somewhere that is liveable. A lot of flash homes on the elevated parts of surburbia there now...

No second thoughts at all, can't wait to get out of here.

 

[theasxgorilla]

I think Al Gore had something to do with it:

http://www.20six.co.uk/billcarmichael/art/11769838

 

[2020hindsight]

I think Al Gore had something to do with it:

http://www.20six.co.uk/billcarmichael/art/11769838

Lol, not sure where you're coming from gorilla, but I personally think Al Gore in right on the money,

- for example the newly raised flood gates on the Thames will be overtopped way way way before their planned design life.

well well well as they say

Here's a poem on the subject - assuming someone out there gives a shinbone lol.
https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=183943&highlight=neptune#post183943
samuel taylor coleridge

btw, in my eyes the poem before it is a much better poem (if I may say so myself).

incidentally, as I posted on "global cooling?" thread , .....(#2 on that thread)

Then there are the Local theories - eg the theory that Florida will fry, and at the same time England will freeze. This theory was on TV recently. Basically the warm Gulf stream is pivotal to the climates of both. After travelling north east from the tropics, it hits the northern Atlantic where due to its high salt content it sinks, then returns at a lower level to be reheated etc. They call it "the conveyor". Trouble is the salt is being diluted by melting iceberg/ polar cap etc, and when this happens the conveyor stops. They say it will take a long time for it to restart - eg a century or two. They have found evidence in boreologs in Iceland that there have been many mini-Ice Ages in that part of the world, many more than previously thought. But apparently local in extent etc. Yet another of those finely balanced subtleties of nature that Man is bound to screw up before he fully understands what he's doing.

 

[noirua]

Some are blaming the Romans as they built the towns on flood plains about 1,500 to 1,900 years ago.
It may have more to do with not dredging the rivers as this seems to have been mentioned as long ago as 1947 when the UK was flooded before.

Hardly anyone takes any notice until disaster occurs.
How many people keep enough bottled drinking water and canned food for three weeks supply? If you do, your prepared, if not, and more likely, you'r amongst the don't cares.

 

[theasxgorilla]

Lol, not sure where you're coming from gorilla, but I personally think Al Gore in right on the money,

Flippant comment. I think he's also on the money...still doesn't cease to amaze me how many people have their head in the sand on this topic.

 

[BradK]

So,

All the major newspapers in the UK are carrying warnings of severe floods in England, and the preparation of the removal of tens of thousands of people. They are anticipating a 'tidal surge' and issuing solemn warnings about a repeat of the '1950 floods' - whatever that is.

www.guardian.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

www.timesonline.co.uk

and the Environment Agency www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Are there any UK traders who can enlighten us to what is happening? How serious is it?

Brad

 

[alankew]

Brad not to worry,its just all the southern softies that are going to get hit!Dont think that seaview will be worth quite as much now.All the decent people that live in the Midlands will be ok(Mum and Dad and my brother and his family).Seriously though,dont know what will happen but hope its not as bad as expected.Nothing worse than water damage-used to work as atelphone engineer and this time of year we would regularly get calls from flooded homes and as soon as the flood word was mentioned we were expected to charge the customer for the repair as"they can claim it back on insurance"only problem is when this happens a few times you cant get bloody insurance

 

[numbercruncher]

Certainly sounds extremely dangerous and damaging. More severe storms is one of the end sums of climate change.

If it gets out of control for the UK maybe we will get some "enviromental refugess" heading our way in the future ? Theyve only recently had severe flooding too boot.

Maybe a few more disasters will get the denyers like Howard and co to appreciate the seriousness of it all.

 

[jurn]

false alarm don't worry

East coast flood fears pass as tides ebb

Fears of widespread flooding along the east coast of England diminished today as surging tides peaked without any major incidents.

Evacuated residents were allowed back to their homes in Norfolk this morning as water failed to reach the levels predicted due to a combination of gale-force winds and a high tide.

The Environment Agency (EA) said the main tidal peak in East Anglia, the area most at risk from flooding, had already passed. There is only one severe flood warning still in place, down from eight this morning.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weather/Story/0,,2208280,00.html

 

[BradK]

Yep, flood fears eased now - nothing to report.

 

[Pommiegranite]

Brad not to worry,its just all the southern softies that are going to get hit!Dont think that seaview will be worth quite as much now.All the decent people that live in the Midlands will be ok(Mum and Dad and my brother and his family).Seriously though,dont know what will happen but hope its not as bad as expected.Nothing worse than water damage-used to work as atelphone engineer and this time of year we would regularly get calls from flooded homes and as soon as the flood word was mentioned we were expected to charge the customer for the repair as"they can claim it back on insurance"only problem is when this happens a few times you cant get bloody insurance

I just don't get it. Why expose your family to ridicule on a public forum, by mentioning that they live in the Midlands?

As for the subject of where the so call flooding was threatening, I suggest you look at the map and you will see its on the same latitude as Brum.

'Southern Softies' rule!

 

[2020hindsight]

sounds like you blokes are a bit like the transtasman rivalry - cept you don;t have a ditch between you, lol

but seriously, the tidal gates in the Thames are gonna be overtopped more and more regularly in the coming years -

no wonder they are starting to take global warming seriously !

meanwhile, well 6 months ago, Johnny Howard was saying that (Nobel Peace Prize winner) Al Gore was just a media tart, seeking publicity for himself etc.

well one of was that's for sure

 

[Smurf1976]

Certainly sounds extremely dangerous and damaging. More severe storms is one of the end sums of climate change.

If it gets out of control for the UK maybe we will get some "enviromental refugess" heading our way in the future ? Theyve only recently had severe flooding too boot.

Maybe a few more disasters will get the denyers like Howard and co to appreciate the seriousness of it all.

Given that events such as this have happened before in the UK and that this one isn't even that serious compared to previous floods, I think it's really pushing it to argue that it's somehow linked to climate change.

 

[2020hindsight]

smurf - I'm amazed that there's doubt being expressed about climate change here

and alank, I'm amazed at jokes about southern England "not mattering".. even in jest. sheesh - you're not keeping up with the facts if you say things like that !!

just to put a "dampener" on the humour (sorry for the pun) - but watch this and see if you feel like laughing .
(The lady works for "Project THAMES 2100" - but (I'm fairly sure) she is talking about 2050)
5 Disasters Waiting to Happen: Thames Flood Risk

"the barrier was biggest in the world - has protected London for 20 years."

Thames barrier built 20 years ago - designed to cater for tides till 2030 - these defenses getting older
originally intended that closures would be once every 2 or 3 years
today it closes 5 or 6 times EVERY year
with projected sea level rises and sea surges, the status quo is not an option

If we do nothing then by 2050 we will be closing the barrier on almost every tide
and it will be overtopped on some tides

worst sceanrio (2050 implied) is that flood levels will be 3m on top of today's flood levels:-

1.25mill people living and working in flood risk area
over 80 billion pounds worth of property
26 underground railway sations
400 schools
16 hospitals
powere stations an airport

it's obviously something we can't allow to happen

The Thames holds the potential to destroy London if more care is not taken to prevent climate change

Sir David Attenborough: The Truth About Climate Change

The legendary broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough was long unsure about the causes of the observed climate warming. In his documentary, The Truth About Climate Change, he sheds doubt and explains what convinced him.

Climate models based on purely natural processes such as solar activity and volcanic eruptions fail to explain the observed change in Earth's climate in the latter part of the 20th century. Models factoring in the human impact, that is, the increase of carbon dioxide in the athmosphere, depict the transpired warming accurately, however.

Living with climate change

 

[2020hindsight]

Certainly sounds extremely dangerous and damaging. More severe storms is one of the end sums of climate change.

If it gets out of control for the UK maybe we will get some "enviromental refugess" heading our way in the future ? Theyve only recently had severe flooding too boot.

Maybe a few more disasters will get the denyers like Howard and co to appreciate the seriousness of it all.

Spot on numbercruncher..
no problem talking the english into emigrating in a few years' time, thas for sure
History will be tough on Howard !

 

[doctorj]

The floods in the UK earlier this year cost insurers/reinsurers GBP3-4billion. To get hit twice in a year in that order of magnitude would likely result in premiums being driven up around the world. Here's hoping it doesn't.

 

[2020hindsight]

Thames Barrier - Model shows operation