Heartland

This is my homeland - or what's left of it. Every single street, lane, shop and bridge are part of me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8373217.stm

Luckily The Folks and relatives are okay. My sister has/had a shop on Main Street, we're still waiting for the Insurance to assess what's left. Her 18 month-old business is wrecked.

Sad times, my friends...

It's a shocker and no mistake. My mum and dad live in Carnforth these days so I was vaguely worried about them (not flooded as it turns out).

But blimey.

wow. been watching the that on the news the last few days. looks like the worst in a good few years

hope your family can get themselves back on their feet and get back to normal sooner rather than later

Terrible. The frightening force of nature.
Hope all your family get things sorted Mark.

Thanks for the best wishes - it is appreciated.

I feel so helpless. Naturally I've offered to go and help with the clean up but because the insurance company hasn't been round there's not much point. Also if food is a bit of an issue, extra mouths to feed won't help the situation. All I can do is sit by the phone and watch as my town crumbles into the sea.

It might sound a tad over-dramatic, but it's how a feel

We're pretty bad over here too, but fortunately I'm nowhere near it. All I can say is best of luck man.

Luck, man. Hard to grasp what it's like until it happens to somewhere, someone you know - then the truth comes home all too well.

Mark, big hugs fae Mozart Way.

It's not all bad though

BBC news wrote:Brian Trengove, part owner of an Indian restaurant on Cockermouth high street, refused to be rescued when the floods hit.

He says he has been surviving on curry and rice.

Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a little. I really feel for you Mark, but as you say not a lot you can do against the awesome power of nature when it decides to kick off. Best wishes to you and your family.

Quiff Boy wrote:looks like the worst in a good few years

Sadly, I'd have to disagree and say that this is the latest in what is becoming an increasingly common occurrence. June/July 2007 springs to mind, although the current one may well be worse. Not that that's any comfort to the people being flooded just now and nor does it in any way lessen the tragedy that they're experiencing. It's just very worrying that this is happening so often these days.

Best wishes to all affected.

DerekR wrote:It's not all bad though

BBC news wrote:Brian Trengove, part owner of an Indian restaurant on Cockermouth high street, refused to be rescued when the floods hit.

He says he has been surviving on curry and rice.

Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a little. I really feel for you Mark

It's cool! And thanks!

stufarq wrote: It's just very worrying that this is happening so often these days.

Climate change, innit?

I saw how that bridge just crumbled!! What a shame for you Mark and your family. My heartfelt wishes to you all.

That force of the water is very powerful and hope your government seriously looks at things like your bridges that my be worn out. To just name one thing. It's also something I think that is going to be coming along again and again so it would a good thing to start thinking how to fight it.

To the man who loves his curry!

markfiend wrote:

stufarq wrote: It's just very worrying that this is happening so often these days.

Climate change, innit?

you know that is just a left wing conspiracy! some hackers have proven so with some slightly altered emails



@ Mark, I hope everything will be sorted for your family and all the other victims.
the forces of nature can be cruel.

markfiend wrote:

stufarq wrote: It's just very worrying that this is happening so often these days.

Climate change, innit?

Try building shut every flood-area in the country. Happens here as well.

I don't know the correct term in English, but here in Belgium people tend to build EVERYWHERE, even in those 'natural flooding areas' (or overstromings-gebieden in Dutch)

Not even is that plain stupid (and people building there don't have to whine afterwards of course), but it is also disastrous for people living elsewhere, as the water ALWAYS finds its way out (or, in this case, up).

I've seen whole areas flooded here in Lier and about because 20 miles further down a big apartment block w/ parking space and gardens was planted down disturbing all natural flow and irrigation...

That and climate change, but mostly stupidity of big project people

IZ.

You're right, of course. Sheer pressure of large numbers of people in only a small country means that people will build on the flood-plains of rivers (which I guess is similar to your overstromings-gebieden.)

Also, more people (at least in the UK) are covering over their gardens with concrete or tarmac to give themselves car-parking space, which means less water soaks into gardens, which means more water for drains and rivers to handle.

Add in rising sea-levels, increases in extreme weather events, etc. and it's a recipe for disaster.

Aha! Yes loads of people are also covering their gardens with tiles and stuff, the more modern look I believe. Well my garden is a natural garden with trees and grass and plants and stuff and am proud of that!

Our country is even smaller than you neighbouring countries, so why not do what the Dutchies did a few years ago...push the sea backwards and gain more ground, oh no wait, we are also sinking and are below sea-level so guess that's us fcuked when the water does come.

Can we all swim peeps? With dogs and cats on our heads!

395 people per square km in the Netherlands, compared to 246 in the UK (according to wikipedia) Belgium has 341 if anyone wants to know (and we're the three most crowded European countries, other than microstates like the Vatican, Monaco, etc.)

MadameButterfly wrote: Can we all swim peeps? With dogs and cats on our heads!

Heh. Waterworld?

I've been waiting for the jokes. thought they would have been flooding in by now

markfiend wrote:395 people per square km in the Netherlands, compared to 246 in the UK (according to wikipedia) Belgium has 341 if anyone wants to know (and we're the three most crowded European countries, other than microstates like the Vatican, Monaco, etc.)

MadameButterfly wrote: Can we all swim peeps? With dogs and cats on our heads!

Heh. Waterworld?

Thanks for that info. Mark! And Waterworld...good heavens are we flooding the whole globe then? I was actually thinking, if it does come down that badly to jump onto a plane and hit the highest part of the Drakensburg!

So moses, go tell your good friend Noah to start building that Ark again!

moses wrote:I've been waiting for the jokes. thought they would have been flooding in by now

I don't want to get kicked off Heartland, so I'll put this kindly.

Shut up.

Hang in there mate

BillyBadBreaks wrote:Hang in there mate

Thanks. It's not me, all safe and warm in Leeds - it's my little sister I'm worried about. Estimates vary from 2-4 months when the shop will be dried out and fit for purpose. Luckily she's an insurance policy for loss of earnings, so that's being filed ASAP.

Turns out that the houses next to the Workington Bridge will all have to be demolished, including one that my Mam and Stepdad renovated only a few years ago before selling on. Also turns out that the churchyard that my brother-in-law recently buried his sister in has been washed away - I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions, suffice to say that his mother suffered a suspected stroke upon hearing the news (luckily she's okay).

As you can see, it's so tight-knit up there that everyone has been affected.

...And thanks again for the support. It does make a difference

All the best to the people who have and had to suffer this!

take care and remember that big water is like carpet bombing, you hate this during and few days but when you look back you treat it like a bless for your old, dirty town.