Storm Desmond has ripped Carlisle apart and again for the 3rd time in 10 years people have had their homes and businesses flooded.
We are lucky as we live up a hill from the river, but less than quarter of a mile away there are people who have had their lives ruined again.
The defences have got better every time, but to have over a months rainfall in less than 24 hours, then Mother Nature cannot be stopped, as the force of the water was ripping bridges and trees down.
It is completely crazy, as we are trapped in Carlisle with no way in or out, with all roads flooded. We are an island called Denton Holme at the moment.
My hearts go out to all of those that have been impacted by this storm across Cumbria and beyond.
I am off for my community shift of handing out sandbags. There is an amazing community feel around here, quite unbelievable. Makes you restore your faith in mankind, (A little), with all else that is going on.
I’m on the Preston train, which incidentally. is the furthest north that any train is going today. Those shots of Carlisle look like clean-up is going to take a while.
Like you my friends live high enough to avoid having their property fucked, but they have sent me footage of the Eden from the Viaduct and it looks desperate. Their daughter has just bought a place in Cargo and she is away at present, so they are worried it might cop it.
Great Corby is in the sticks about 10/15 minutes from me. Again it is n a river. Not heard much about Cargo, but we looked at buying there and again on a river surrounded by farmland. Hopefully all will be ok.
I get annoyed at the general bearing of government and business on the subject of flood-prone areas. To be fair to the government, it does usually bail in, if somewhat belatedly, when these events occur. What irks me is the lack of investment that allows people to say, “hey, you live in a flood prone area. Your insurance premium is going through the roof, if we decide to insure you”.
Some of the public even jump on board. “Hur hur. What did they expect? Moved to Somerset, didn’t they?”.
People differ on the specific role of government and how wide it should be, but one of the basics, wherever you sit on the political scale, is a bit of territorial integrity. The US was criticised for underfunding the flood defences after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. We routinely see the same problems hit the same regions again and again.
The Dutch maintain this marvel of land reclamation.
The Netherlands are way ahead of the game, with some great measures put in place. To be far the defences that were put in place were breached by some pretty rare weather. It rained for a week pretty solid and then a storm to end it all.
Mug anything there was not enough warnings for the residence to prepare! Some only as the defences were breached.
Of course the government can blame this on labour as they were in power for the 2005 and 2009 floods here.
