BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: The Shambles
Date: 02 Nov 00 - 01:48 AM

It is raining heavily this morning and the TV is saying that most rivers are already at full capacity now.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: alison
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 08:35 PM

Is Ireland getting it too?.... I've only seen England on the news here......... Yorkshire looked awful last night...

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Llanfair
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 07:30 PM

Good thinking, Steve, then all the water would go to......er....somewhere else!!
Shrewsbury is having the worst floods since 1947. Now, wasn't that the year of the big winter freeze, when the snow didn't thaw till April? Hmmmm, I wonder where I could get a sledge and some huskies?
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 01:18 PM

Gervase,
You have me laughing out loud in my office! Your daughter is right - "Neither rain, nor sleet nor gloom of night keeps the mailman from his appointed rounds." Certainly, stupidity shouldn't. Honest, I would be more sympathetic if he had died.

Jon, I am glad you're safe. Stay dry and warm

One of my "boarders" is in London right now. No word from him. Thinking warm, dry thoughts.
Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Lanfranc
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 12:32 PM

No real problems chez Lanfranc, except that getting to and from work is an interesting exercise. Drove the Subaru up to London on Monday (with a full load of people and computers, lest Kevin accuse me of climatic vandalism). Going in was reasonable, but coming home the River Roding, normally a puny little trickle, was busy bursting its banks and flooding places like Ilford, which don't normally suffer much from flooding. Could the Thames barrier have anything to do with unexpected flooding in both Essex and Kent?

Now, what were the dimensions of the Ark? That bit of birdseye maple might come in useful after all.

Glad no Mudcatter seems to be suffering unduly, and very sorry for the poor sods that are.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 12:01 PM

Well, I'm counting my blessings. I've had some fence panels blown out (again -- I expect it at this time of year now), no tiles off the roof this time. Only took another 45 mins on top of the usual 100 to get the 74 miles to Milton Keynes, dodging trees & road-sized puddles, but I started at 6.30 a.m.. Sue (Mrs P) drove to Fittleworth in W Sussex, which is not a happy place to be, but she's in a dry-ish part of the village. Daughter Beckie was stranded in Rugeley, Staffs, with no trains, just her boyfriend ... I expect they'll keep themselves warm!

Thanks for all the good wishes. Bron, if I call my in-laws in Birmingham and ask them to get everyone to turn on their taps, do you think the Vyrnwy would drop enough to dry you out?

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: sian, west wales
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 11:53 AM

Morticia, re: Clio-s ... At the end of my street is what is left of Goose Lane, the place where they used to drive geese through tar, then sand, to shod them before driving them to London to market (gee - gotta be a few hundred miles, that.) Not sure if we could update the technique ... once we got the tar and sand set up, maybe I could *do* the dog and the Toyota.

sian not exactly dry in West Wales, but counting my blessings

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 11:42 AM

Trevor, perhaps you could market your caravan as a multiperson skateboard? Or weather continuing, (god forbid) an amphibious surfboard?
Curnow -- I mean Kernow -- Jon, glad to hear you and yours are surviving OK. I was wondering, but not wanting to fill up your possibly nonfunctional inbox with queries.
Hope you all stay warm and dry out soon.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Patrish(inactive)
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 11:31 AM

Just heard the weather report on the radio, it seems as if Yorkshire is starting to flood. They mentioned areas of the M62 and Keighley, Ilkley and Skipton.
I drove past the river calder this morning and it looked quite ominous, almost as if it were boiling over. I hope it subsides, I hate the thought of flooding for anyone and if I am honest I want to go the Jug tonight. You know the daft thing is there will probably be a hose pipe ban in the summer
Patrish

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Gervase
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 11:24 AM

The poor bloody postman I mentioned earlier was damned lucky - one of the local firemen had to hold his head above the water for more than an hour until he could be cut free, and he's still recovering in hospital.
He's still a berk, though, for ignoring the tractor that was parked across the ford to stop people using it, and ignoring the fact that the water was raging across it 3 feet deep. My daughter's disgruntled, too, because the mail got soaked and some CDs and books she'd ordered were among them! Honestly, she's the milkmaid of human kindness...
And now we're told that another three days of rain are on the way. Ho hum, even the Dunkirk spirit can get a little damp at times.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Peg
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 11:03 AM

Jon; glad you are well; having seen how Llandudno gets even in balmy July, I was worried the storm hit you extra hard near the northern coast of Wales...

peg

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 07:36 PM

There's a song of Áine's I sing in which an old man gets his house blown away - happens in Texas. But now, when I sing it in Waltham Abbey when the floods there have subsided, they won't think it's over the top.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: kendall
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 07:04 PM

You folks in the islands are in my thoughts, hope you come out ok..

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 06:20 PM

Carol, I am fine, thanks for asking. Llandudno is cold, wet, windy and miserable but we have been lucky and have escaped most of the storms.

Thinking of those in other parts of the country that have been hit hard,

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Morticia
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 05:21 PM

Just saw the news tonight, huge areas of the country are under water, with more forecast for tonight and the next three days......now, where did I put my wellies and does anyone know how to make a Renault Clio amphibious?

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 04:41 PM

"It's a scary thing when Mother Nature unleashes her worst" - said Animaterra up there. There's optimism for you...I think we "ain't seen nothin yet".

Not that it's all Mother Nature on her own - the way we've been acting lately has a bit to do with it. Let's just hope that the message about stopping burning fossil fuel gets across this time. Though, even if everyone in the British Isles stopped burning any fossil fuel, and all the cars ground to a halt, it'd only make a fractional difference. The only single country where it would make a significant difference if that happened would be the United States, and it'll have to get a whole lot worse before that happens. Which it will of course, but formthe rest of the world first I suppose.

In fact in England most people really rather enjoy a bit of a disaster. Out comes the legend/memory of the Dunkirk spirit to be dusted off and passed around. A couple of weeks ago in another flood in the same series, the TV camera were wandering round, and this women was showing them over her wrecked house - listing and showing the damage - then she opened a cupboard and found all her pasta jars were filled with water, and she dissolved in...giggles. As the saying goes, "If you didn't laugh you'd cry"

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: GUEST,Kernow Jon
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 03:46 PM

Thanks all for the good wishes and the warmth.
I'm right down here on the Lizard (the most southerly point of the country) and we're getting another smacking as I type. Thankfully the fishermen are ashore and the boats well pulled up.
Keep your prayers and thoughts going for the Lifeboat and Coastgaurd folks around our shores in this weather.
Thanks again KJ

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Morticia
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:40 PM

sorry about your caravan, Trevor, perhaps you could sell it on to reallylittle people?

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Trevor
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:34 PM

Even my cookie is wet!

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: GUEST,Trevor
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 11:26 AM

Thanks for all the good wishes - it won't take us long to dry out with all the warmth that seems to be coming our way.

revor.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: momnopp
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 10:30 AM

Well, I must say that the attitudes I see in most of these posts are most encouraging. I get a sense of "yeah, it was miserable, but we're doing OK and it will soon pass." I don't know if Americans (or maybe it's just non-Mudcatters?) could keep up such overall good spirits in the face of adversity. Glad so many of you have checked in and are "weathering" the storm.

My warmest, driest wishes to you all. And do let us know if anyone has word from Jon Freeman as CarolC points out.

Cheers,

JudyO

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Fortunato
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 10:23 AM

I'll zip up some of our weather and send it over Micca, Gervase et al. We had 2/100s of an inch of rain in October here in DC. Warmer and sunnier than usual. Turning colder now, however, had frost on the Jack o'Lantern last night. It's Halloween tonight. I shall be "The Rockabilly Zombie" and attempt to give the little trick or treaters nightmares.

I hope you are all well.

cheers, Chance

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 10:18 AM

Spent a jolly morning yesterday sawing up fallen ash trees, having given up trying to get into London. The Thames is very high but fortunately I'm up a bit of a bank. Several trees down locally but the Big Cedar opposite the house hung on yet again. Thanks to our fellow m'catters for the WARM wishes :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Peg
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 10:07 AM

I got back to Boston okay, thanks for asking. My 3:40 pm flight out of Heathrow was not cancelled, but of course since so many earlier ones were delayed or cancelled outright, the airport was a madhouse.

The bus I took to get there (virtually the only public transport from Central London to the airport that was still opeartional), which was supposed to leave every half hour, was very late. A group of people stood in the rain for nearly an hour and a half waiting. Traffic was at a crawl. But somehow we got there eventually. Queues at the airport were insane, people were jumping the line and acting like they were entitled to do so. Short tempers all round.

Our plane left about an hour late due not to weather but to a security problem (someone left a rucksack unattended on the plane), but aside from mild turbulence, some unruly passengers who wouldn't stay in their assigned seats, and a truly ghastly custard dessert at lunch, all was well.

Hope not too many homes or old trees were destroyed...this was a very serious storm. It even made the Boston local news station! I was amazed to hear how much snow there had been!

Take care all and my prayers are with those who suffered any loss of livelihood or property.

peg

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: alison
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 07:11 AM

Sending you more heat, dryness, and hugs from Oz.... saw the UK on todays news.. it looked bad....

all of you take care....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 06:52 AM

Well, Trev, I know Cadfael never said forsooth- that was mw speaking- but even so, I wish you well and high and dry very soon. It's a scary thing when Mother Nature unleashes her worst and there's nothing you can do but huddle together and wait it out. My driest, warmest thoughts are with all of you waiting out the wet.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Trevor
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 06:30 AM

Water's still rising here in Shrewsbury - the forecast is that it's going to be 5 metres above normal by 3.00pm today. Found my caravan on its roof, and squashed, last night. Can anybody use a 15 feet by 6 inches plank with wheels?

It actually looks beautiful today,the sun's shining, the leaves that are left are beautiful colours and from the hills where I live South Shropshire looks like the lake district.

(For those across the BIG water, have a look on the map about a third of the way down the Welsh border and then right a bit for me and left a bit for Bron and Llanstock, aka Llanfair Caereinion)

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: CarolC
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 04:55 AM

Just now saw this thread for the first time. I hope all of you are ok, and that the weather conditions are improving. I dedicate my whole "Hug" thread to everyone who is experiencing bad weather or house fires. (Or any other bad things.)

Anyone know how Jon Freeman is doing? I don't see him anywhere on this thread.

Please let us know how things are progressing when you get the chance amidst the chaos.

Good luck,

Carol

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Gervase
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 04:46 AM

The water's only just receding from the fence at the bottom of the garden up in Herts after the river Ash took leave of its banks and went for a walk around the countryside - the closest it's ever been to the house.
My son heroically waded through thigh-high water carrying his sister on his back so she could get up the hill to get the school bus (Was she grateful? Was she buggery: Women!), the postman was swept away in the ford and had to be taken to hospital with hypothermia after his van got wedged under a bridge (pillock!), the neighbours nearer the river have three feet of water on their ground floor (they're used to it by now)...ah, ain't life grand.
Meanwhile, in central London yesterday it was actually rather lovely. Hyde Park was closed to traffic because of debris, and the result was a blissful walk to work untroubled by the infernal combustion engine.
Today, after the deluge, is another matter. London is back to its snarling, inefficient self, with trains, tubes and buses few and far between and all of them full to third-world standards and everyone obviously far from gruntled. (which reminds me; I want to sit on the roof of a double-decker with a basket of chickens. I've seen it in the documentaries, and I think it would lend an authentic atmosphere of desperation to London's transport system. C'mon Ken - it's got to be worth a try to wring more money out of the Government...)

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:48 AM

We're suppposed to have a "winter storm" come in, tomorrow....that usually means several inches of snow, wind, and cold temps. I'd take rain, even lots of it, over that, BUT I still send good wishes for you all to be safe and dried out, soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Thyme2dream
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:43 AM

Wishing you all Warm, DRY and safe...oh, and send those tornadoes back to Kansas, we know how to deal with them!(aye, right!)

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: paddymac
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:02 AM

Chatted with a friend in Sligo on Sunday and they were having the same sort of weather, but no reports of flooding. Here in north Florida, there's nary a cloud in the sky, but we're about 17" below norm on rainfall for the year, and nearly 4' over the past three years. Be glad to trade some sun for some rain. Best thing to do in such nasty weather as southern England is beset with is to snuggle up close with another being, and sip a bit of hot chocolate with sloe gin mixed in (tastes like chocolate cherries). Hope things get better soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: GUEST,Lyle
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:48 PM

How long do you think these storms will last?

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 08:08 PM

It looks like dreaded Millennium Dome was built a lot better than some people reckoned.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Morticia
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 06:34 PM

Well, the bad news is there is more rain forecast for tonight and further storms by the end of the week...I'm thinking of building an ark in the garden.Now lemme see, two cats, two tins of beans, two guitars, 473 cd's and the rest of the space for books......what have I forgotten? Ooops, and..... erm, one husband..... ( sorry,dear).

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 06:30 PM

Sending more dry and sunny thoughts your way, all of you. Micca, are the planes actually flying out, now? I'm especially thinking of Peg, and then Linda, when they each fly back to the States. Good to hear from so many of you that you are relatively okay.

Mortee, so sorry to hear about your families and others, must've been a very tough day.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: sophocleese
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 06:16 PM

From sunny Ontario I'm thinking about you and relatives all. Hope tonight is better for you.

Sophy

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Quincy
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 06:08 PM

All your concern is greatly appreciated.....I'm down here near sunny(???) Southampton next to the New Forest and like Morticia it was the fence panels. They didn't fall down in one piece...they broke up like driftwood!
The plum tree is at a very funny angle and the wind is building up out there again now (11pm).
Lots of localised flooding, trees down, no trains running....etc.

Could be far worse......the poor people in the mobile homes in Selsey, their homes just flipped over!

Just sitting here now imagining all that US sun!!
best wishes and thanks, Yvonne

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Bearheart
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 05:51 PM

Very sorry to hear all of this, had no clue. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. May it be over soon. Need to get on the regular email and check on my friend Chris in Glastonbury-- and his family in Kent.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Greyeyes
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 05:49 PM

I drove from Salisbury to Plymouth Sunday PM and tho' wet and windy I missed the worst of it. This morning the outer front door of my block of flats was smashed to kindling. Needless to say I slept through it all. Plymouth generally is okay apart from the public transport system collapsing completely. Fortunately I live 10 minutes walk from work.

In this part of the country the effects don't seem as bad as the hurricane of '87, but I was living in Kent then which was really badly hit, and I suspect has been again.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 05:44 PM

......sending MORE dry, warm thoughts from east coast USA...glad to hear the reports that most of our Mudcat friends seem to be doing ok....

..."well, it's only up to ^here on the ducks"

old joke....

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Micca
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 05:44 PM

well. it has p**ed down for a coupla days here in London and points south( about a months rain in 48 hours) and the Underground and Express to Heathrowwere suspended and Peg set off to get a bus for her early afternoon flight, she hasn't come back so we are assuming she got there, tomorrow Linda does the same trick but leaving at 5.30 am. The Port of Dover was closed to ferries for about 14 hours and some poor beggers were stuck on bouncing ferry boats for 18 hours waiting to enter harbour..so we are Ok put thanks for your kind thoughts.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Llanfair
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 04:33 PM

Hi, I'm fine!! We've got a streamlet running through the cellar, and no-one can get into Welshpool because the Vyrnwy has burst it's banks. The Banwy is running fast and black and high, but there is no danger of flooding.
It's Shrewsbury and the whole Severn flood plain that seems to be worst off. Hope the farmers rescued their sheep.
We're used to very wet weather, and can cope with these exceptional storms. It's the people in Kent and points south I feel for.
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 03:02 PM

Thinking of all of you.........keep in touch.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 02:46 PM

Blew the bird-box off my shed, but otherwise no problem. A few floods on the road. All over the country people have been phoning in to work and saying there's tree blocking the road outside my house, so I'll not be in to work today...On the other hand my enthusiastic son took 2 1/2 hours on a drive to work that should have been 40 minutes.

They say the railway service was totally disrupted, but noone could tell the difference.

Blow blow thou winter wind
thou art not so unkind
as man's ingratitude...

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: wildlone
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 01:33 PM

Left to go to work at 4:15am as usual got in at 4:57,It normally takes 15 mins cross wind was so strong I had to stop the bike before I was blown of the road. Floods in Yeovil plus trees down at one point rode through a flood so deep it came up under my waterproof trouser legs and into my boots, the police were sat in their nice warm car down the road from this flood and later at work I was told that the cover of a storm drain had been forced off and that a car had ended up with one wheel down the hole, lucky for me that I had not done the same or I would have ended up learning to body surf. At least BMW's are built to last

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Trevor
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 01:23 PM

Pull up his frock and paddle probably. I never heard him say 'forsooth'. Wasn't that another programme on the telly, a saga or something. I was nobbut a lad at the time.

Are your feet wet Bron?

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 01:17 PM

Sending you warm and dry thoughts. We had snow too, but nothing like your floods and tornados! Floods in Shrewsbury Abbey, forsooth! What will Brother Cadfael do?

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 01:09 PM

Take care, guys. Power lines, wet computers, falling trees - miss work if you have to. It's not worth your life. Wishing you a warm, dry night.
Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: John J
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 12:56 PM

And they say Manchester is 'Rainy City'! It's certainly not brilliant. I cycled 3.5m to work this morning @ 07.30. twas v windy with horizontal white fluffy stuff. The 15-20 minute journey took, well, 15-20 minutes!I'm just glad I don't use the car much, it takes at least double that on a good day.Traffic on A56 in Sale, south Manchester was fairly heavy first thing but it calmed down by 10.30. Keep smiling everyone, lets hope this foul weather stops soon and there are no more accidents / damage. John (in Altrincham)