Sunday 6 December 2015

Flooding!

For once Cornwall has not born the brunt of the weather. I got up in the dark this morning to do the early morning communion and went out early to be sure the car started...
Memory's of past floods came back, particularly those in Essex. We lived in a new housing complex close to the river which transformed twice yearly into a roaring torrent. We watched the rising flood waters engulf our new homes all too frequently.
My garage flooded badly twice a year at least....we put sand bags on the front door and apart from seeps we stayed dry. Eventually I learned to stack everything in the garage as high as possible and before leaving I put in new drains which I hope are still working....
The worst flood was on a Saturday when I was in town looking at underwear in the big department store. At the first crash of thunder we froze. At the second we climbed under the shop counter...the windows had been blown out by huge balls of ice...it was summer! When we finally got up the scene around us was amazing. Windows broken, furniture smashed , clothes ruined...When I tried to leave about an hour later the road outside had turned into a river! Standing upright proved impossible.
Eventually I reached my bike tied up to the railings. Getting it home through the park was.....interesting. The river had burst its banks...at one stage I tied me and my bike to a tree so as not to get blown away....
People had to be rescued by helicopter from some parts of the park. My husband was up north and startled to hear that the people trapped in their cars had had to be rescued by a police helicopter...and there was no reply when he phoned home. I still had my arms around a tree!
Here high on a cliff it's hard to imagine water collecting for long...but I have experienced the trauma in my past life....
Flooding is not funny...apart from being dangerous if your caught in it. I pray for all those in the north whose homes are flooded with all the attendant problems and dangers... Keep them all safe Lord.

2 comments:

Rat Bites said...

I can't fathom (apt word?) why they build on sites like that. My father saw Canvey drowned in 1953 and went on to work in insurance, he raised me to be very aware of flood risks and never buy in a vulnerable area. But more and more estates are going up...

Revjeanrolt said...

You are right but builders think they can bend the rules. In Essex for instance they built a bund...a flood defence all around the new houses....it worked! too well. The water couldn't get out once in!