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

Subject: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: momnopp
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:33 AM

Has anyone heard from folks across the pond? NPR this morning had horrific-sounding reports of flooding and misery over there and I just wondered if people are OK or if there's anything we can do to help if they're not. . .

Any news?

JudyO

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:36 AM

My journey to work took over an hour instead of 15 minutes as I detoured to avoid fallen trees and flooded lanes (at one stage I drove under a tree that was over the road but still supported by its neighbours. My wife e-mailed me at 12 to say she took 4 hours instead of 30 mins as her main road was blocked!
No damage to the garden except an uprooted buddleia and pots rolling about.
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: sian, west wales
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:46 AM

West Wales is comparitively quiet. The Tywi river is well over her banks ... but that isn't unusual for this time of year. We had some major gusts of wind in the middle of the night, but my roof seems to be in one piece, or at least it was when I left for work this morning. All in all, I think this area has come off well. The south east coast of England, though, is another story. Serious hurricane weather plus tornados. Tornados! Something tells me we aren't in Kansas any more ...

Thanks for thinking of us! Let's hope some others from the south east report back so we can have some peace of mind.

sian

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: sian, west wales
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:49 AM

Just had a thought as I hit the send button ... I wonder how Bronwen Llanfair is doing??? That's the one part of Wales that has had some serious water. I've seen Welshpool when it's flooded and it's like an inland sea all the way to Shrewsbury; unbelievable. Hope Llanfair Caereinion is far enough up the Banwy to be above all that!

sian

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:53 AM

Public transport seems to have ground to a halt, in the southern half of Britain, especially trains, some tube overground sections closed because of trees down. So far only a few casualties I understand: cars hit by trees etc. Quite a lot of colleagues just couldn't get in. Official advice don't travel unless you have to. (But some of us have to earn a living!). Weather dry and less windy now so I'm hoping the roads are clear for the journey home. After the Bognor tornado I gather Selsey had similar problems last night with caravans overturned and roof damage. Cross channel ferries are sheltering in harbour and airports were closed first thing this morning.
And now the sports news...
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Cobble
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 10:57 AM

Momnopp Thanks for you concern, we are lucky here in N/England yes the rivers are very full but so far we have no flood warning but the south coast and Wales look very bad.Many places are on Red Flood alert. I'm affraid I posted BIG HUGS for all the affected catters to CarolC's Big Hug thread, early this morning. Mrs. C

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Trevor
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 11:36 AM

Squelch!

Took me two hours this morning instead of 30 minutes.

You're right, Sian, Shrewsbury resembles a lake at the mo (4.30pm).

I live right on top of the Stiperstones (most remote part of South Shropshire) and the wind all night was much worse than the '87 storm. At 7.30 this morning it was snowing - horizontal, a real blizzard.

I've got a choir practice tonight and my favourite pub for supper has a couple of feet of the Severn in the bar.

Radio Shropshire is on while I'm writing this and they reckon there is more weather on the way and the severn won't peak for another 24 hours. Good job the clocks went back this weekend - I'd probably be frightened if I could see it!

Thanks for the cuddles - hope nobody got wet.

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Catrin
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 11:43 AM

Not too bad in Manchester - although it was snowing this morning in the higher parts (in October!).

Wet and windy, that's all.

Not the same for our friends in the south - they have definitely got it bad. I've got to travel to London tomorrow so am allowing three times the usual for travel time!)

My thoughts are with Bron too.

Cheers,

Catrin

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Bagpuss
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 12:16 PM

I left the house this morning just as the flood warning sirens were going off! There were no trains getting through to manchester, so I have had a day off :-)

We had horizontal snow this morning, and the river is so high, it has come over onto the footpaths alongside it, but not up to the street level yet, thank the lord!

Bagpuss

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: DougR
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 12:24 PM

Sorry for your troubles, Mudcatters, wish I could send you some dry Arizona weather! Button down the hatches. We're thinking of you and hope all of you stay out of harms way.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Trevor
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 12:26 PM

Just heard on the radio that Shrewsbury Abbey is flooded again.

Last time it happened, a couple of years ago, a friend of mine kayaked up the aisle!

Subject: RE: BS: Storms in England/Wales 10/30/00
From: Morticia
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 12:42 PM

Well, all my fence panels are down on one side, luckily they avoided hitting next doors windows.Took an hour and a half to do a ten minute journey into work to find the office roof had leaked, all over printers, computers etc.Intermittent power cuts all day.The local area was then up for a flood warning and we could watch the river, that we usually can't see from our windows flow past, spent the day checking on our elderly and vulnerable and moving out those we could since we are forecast more rain tonight. On top of all that, one of my families had their house burn down and the claims company were so busy no-one could do anything for them.
Someone pour me a drink.

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)

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Trevor
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:34 PM

Even my cookie is wet!

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: kendall
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 07:04 PM

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