UK Flooding

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35181139

I haven't really been following this too much but it suddenly seems to have moved from a bad situation to a disaster over Christmas. Homes have been destroyed and it's quite widespread.

The weather is going crazy. Daffodils in December, mass floods.

[alanbjames]

It just shows the power of Mother nature and whether or not u believe global warming is man made or a natural happening of the earth.

Here in Swansea we have had torrential rain and high winds. Its damaged the fencing between my property and next door and thankfully that's it, it can be fixed within 30mins but some of these people have lost almost if not everything.

[Ramrod]

link

This is on one of the main roads into Leeds, Kirkstall Road, just outside the Leisure Park where the Vue cinema is, which had to be evacuated (along with all the restaurants in the park).

Originally Posted by Ramrod

link

Yup but this happens every so often. We need to have a long term plan to deal with flooding and maybe, if possible, something other than sandbags and walls. I heard an idea about transforming some rivers and using surges to create power as well as better funnelling water around - not sure how feasible that is.

[denphone]

My thoughts go out to the many who have suffered from the terrible flooding over the past few weeks.

[Osem]

It'd cost vast sums of money to do anything meaningful about the sort of flooding we're seeing here. It wasn't that long ago that we were talking about the need to spend equally large sums of money getting vast amounts of water from the north of England to the parched south only for large parts of the south to be flooded in 2014.

There are places in which river defences can be strengthened but that only shifts the problem elsewhere further downstream.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Damien

Yup but this happens every so often. We need to have a long term plan to deal with flooding and maybe, if possible, something other than sandbags and walls. I heard an idea about transforming some rivers and using surges to create power as well as better funnelling water around - not sure how feasible that is.

The long term plan should have been us and the previous selfish generation taking the climate seriously. This is going to happen more often and there's little we can do to stop it. We might already be past the point of no return with our climate, which govt.'s daren't admit.

[mrmistoffelees]

Currently assessing if I need to or if I can actually get into the office in York (right on the river) we have flood barriers but water is seeping in

Problem is is both the a59 and the a19 have been shut theyre the two main routes in

[Hom3r]

What could have been spent had the MP NOT taken a scandalous 11% pay rise why most if they were lucky got 1%.

Mind you if any MP gets flooded they'll just claim back on expenses.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

What could have been spent had the MP NOT taken a scandalous 11% pay rise why most if they were lucky got 1%.

Probably not that much, not that I'm defending hypocritical greedy and corrupt MPs.

Sometimes govts, EA not dredging rivers, insufficient flood defences, immigrants ( weighing down the country no doubt !), or xyz aren't to blame. Nothing stops water. Fires in Australia and California too sending more carbon into the atmosphere in a viscious circle.

Maybe we are all to blame with our cars, flights, leccy guzzling computers and consumer lifestyle. I don't have an answer as I think its too late, really hope for my kids sake I'm wrong. At least we should try and radically change our lifestyles.

Originally Posted by Hom3r

What could have been spent had the MP NOT taken a scandalous 11% pay rise why most if they were lucky got 1%.

Mind you if any MP gets flooded they'll just claim back on expenses.

Since the pay rise costs £4.5 million per year, and it only came into effect in May 2015, I am not sure £3 million would have made much of a difference...

[nashville]

It is heartbreaking to see the damage to people's homes and businesses. How they recover from this is a miracle, I hope the government gives these people plenty help to allow them to get back to normality, If they can send millions to foreign countries surely they can help their own

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Flooding happens year in and year out. We have residents who have lost everything due to the floods.

And yet each time we hear from a residents who says the same ' we have been let down by promises from various governments.

One resident even stated that one of the rivers was due to have it dredged, but this was cancelled due to cuts.

Doesn't the hypocrites of governments know that all they need to do is spend a few million throughout the years, to install flood barriers do dredging on a regular basis.

BUT, a major problem like in London, yes, we have the Woolwich barrier, but this is to protect the City of London.

But, we have people that have laid concrete for driveways, and totally got rid of grass. This causes flooding of streets, last year my road was approx. five inches deep in water as the drains were blocked and there was no where for the water to go.

I can just imagine tomorrow that Cameron will get heckled tomorrow, when he goes to the flood hit area's.

We need Investment in the Environment, NOT cuts

What Cameron can do is to spend some millions on HIS own people, instead of sending it abroad

[alferret]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Flooding happens year in and year out. We have residents who have lost everything due to the floods.

And yet each time we hear from a residents who says the same ' we have been let down by promises from various governments.

One resident even stated that one of the rivers was due to have it dredged, but this was cancelled due to cuts.

Doesn't the hypocrites of governments know that all they need to do is spend a few million throughout the years, to install flood barriers do dredging on a regular basis.

BUT, a major problem like in London, yes, we have the Woolwich barrier, but this is to protect the City of London.

But, we have people that have laid concrete for driveways, and totally got rid of grass. This causes flooding of streets, last year my road was approx. five inches deep in water as the drains were blocked and there was no where for the water to go.

I can just imagine tomorrow that Cameron will get heckled tomorrow, when he goes to the flood hit area's.

We need Investment in the Environment, NOT cuts

What Cameron can do is to spend some millions on HIS own people, instead of sending it abroad

As much as we all sympathise for the loss of life and property even the defences put in place since the last big floods are not enough. It's not about throwing money at everything is about tackling the root of the issue and that's global warming. That starts with us, not the gov, we're all to blame, every watt of energy we use from fossil fuels, every litre of fuel we put in our cars, every holiday we take and the planes that fly us to our exotic destinations.

Invest in the environment? What like?