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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 9:26:44 GMT -1
Post by Francis on Jul 24, 2007 9:26:44 GMT -1
Anna and I had a fun-packed weekend stuck in the floods in Gloucester this weekend at a place called Dymock. It's a great place with wonderful community spirit - The village got together to buy the pub when it went on the market with planning permission for change of use to a house! Lots of people were stranded and ended up sleeping on the floor of the pub, but we were lucky enough to get a couch in a strangers front room. It was a learning experience for me - I hadn't realised that I was actually quite prejudiced against these sort of middle-class-houses-as-investments-not-homes commuter villages. I don't know if Dymock is unusual in having a real sense of community even though, we were told, that the average length of time anyone stays in a property there is less than 5 years before moving onwards and 'upwards'- but it was a surprise to me and a bit of a wake up call to what was really a bit of a prejudice I had without really realising it. I assumed these sorts of villages were all fairly anonymous places to live - just a load of polite semi-strangers living in one place fo a short time, with no real sense of community or ambition for anything more than house price increases for their home. I'd say anyone not lucky enough to be living in North Wales ;D should have a look at Dymock if they're thinking of moving! Stephen
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 9:28:55 GMT -1
Post by Lee on Jul 24, 2007 9:28:55 GMT -1
this is what i got up yesterday evening...
(emailed to the pagan federation secretary)
Dear sir/madam,
I am writing to get some information regarding the recent statement provided by Ann Bryn-Evans the regional co-ordinator for Wesex. Her recent statement to the BBC runs in light of events surrounding the Cerne Abbas Giant, she said; "We'll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away."
this statement comes only a couple of days prior to the worst flooding this year. We have seen hundreds of thousands of people without fresh water and tens of thousands of people facing hard times as their homes are under water.
i would like to know what Ann Bryn-Evans now has to say for herself on the matter. Did she perform the so called "weather magic" as she said she would? who did she perform it with? will they now apologise for their frankly idiotic actions.
i look forward to a response from either yourself or Ms Bryn-Evans.
regards
Lee Davies
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 9:51:34 GMT -1
Post by Tegernacus on Jul 24, 2007 9:51:34 GMT -1
yeah, a couple of buckets of water would have been a better solution.
I live within walking distance of a couple of these new housing estates (where once were fields... sigh), and I have to say that in my experience they ARE semi-anonymous places. People come home from work in their 4x4s, shut their gates, and they're done. Even if they have a barbecue, its for their workmates, not their neighbours. Although, to be fair, its because there is so much coming-and-going people doing make time to get to know each other. Communities generally aren't made overnight, it takes months, years, decades. By the time the children of these estates grow to be home owners, they will all know each other through school, and so it will be more of a community than at present.
Saying that, these aren't uncaring, unfeeling, asbo-dropouts... I can see how something that affects the whole community would draw them together, almost FORCE them together. I've been watching the floods on the news, and I can see that from every village they report from. Where usually people would be rushing about talking on their mobiles and being ignorant, now they're all standing around, talking and laughing together (what else can you do?). If one good thing comes of this, it is that.
I hope this deluge ends soon,for the home-owners, businesses, farmers and kids sake. I went to my local river yesterday, which was raging, and had a quiet word with herself about it.
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 10:46:55 GMT -1
Post by littleraven on Jul 24, 2007 10:46:55 GMT -1
this is what i got up yesterday evening... (emailed to the pagan federation secretary) Dear sir/madam,
I am writing to get some information regarding the recent statement provided by Ann Bryn-Evans the regional co-ordinator for Wesex. Her recent statement to the BBC runs in light of events surrounding the Cerne Abbas Giant, she said; "We'll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away."
this statement comes only a couple of days prior to the worst flooding this year. We have seen hundreds of thousands of people without fresh water and tens of thousands of people facing hard times as their homes are under water.
i would like to know what Ann Bryn-Evans now has to say for herself on the matter. Did she perform the so called "weather magic" as she said she would? who did she perform it with? will they now apologise for their frankly idiotic actions.
i look forward to a response from either yourself or Ms Bryn-Evans.
regards
Lee DaviesPlus the small point that talking about doing 'rain-magic' makes every single one of us look a bloody idiot in the eyes of the general public. It does absolutely zero for the already little credibility we have as a part of society. LR
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 11:13:18 GMT -1
Post by Francis on Jul 24, 2007 11:13:18 GMT -1
Another side to the disaster of these floods is that because the harvest will be so bad this year, next year compulsory set-aside land regulations are being removed to increase the size of the area farmers can produce grain on - so that stocks can be built up asap.
Years of environmental benefit undone in terms of soil structure and build up of invertebrates and native plants numbers. But hey everyone needs to eat ...
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 11:33:48 GMT -1
Post by Craig on Jul 24, 2007 11:33:48 GMT -1
Hi Stephen, I'd say anyone not lucky enough to be living in North Wales ;D should have a look at Dymock if they're thinking of moving! Stephen I pass through Dymock every Monday and Friday on the way to/back from The Job. Nice village with a strange road camber that makes your chassis vibrate alarmingly. For those that don't know I live about 100 yards from the banks of the Severn so it has been an interesting few days. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of sympathy for the various inundated English district, town and county councils (though I do with the individual victims). Year upon year they are offered millions to build river bank flood defences up and down the Severn. They are even regularly brought to my little town, by the Environment Agency, to see the 30' riverside berms we built in the 1960's after our last devastating flood. Now they have trees on and are grassed over the berms have become part of the local landscape. According to my friend, an EA Manager who conducts this work, the standard response is that such defences would "not be in keeping with the nature or heritage of the town" (direct quote from Shrewsbury's Mayor). As if 15' of sewage filled water is... What the news is not saying and few English know, is that the river surge they experienced on Sunday (and which is still working its way to the Bristol Channel) was not caused directly by their local rain. A few miles above my town is the Clywedog reservoir and dam. This is owned by Severn Trent Water and helps supply a large chunk of the West Midlands with fresh water (alongside its cousins - Vrynwy and the Elan Valley). The surge was a controlled sluice release to prevent the dam from reaching breaking point. We watched it make its way past our town and head downstream (it took eleven hours to pass - pretty awesome). Unfortunately for our English cousins downstream it didn't work and the dam is nearly full again. If the run-off from the surrounding hills does not abate in the next 24 hours they will have to do it again. So if you live in the danger area the worst may not yet be over. For those close to the Wye or the Dee, those other dams I mentioned are also reaching a critical point.
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 12:29:10 GMT -1
Post by Tegernacus on Jul 24, 2007 12:29:10 GMT -1
there is a reason our ancestors lived on hills...
thing is, for the last 1500 years, places around the Severn have been flattened, drained, ploughed etc to maximise farmland. Its a sitting duck - the water rises a meter, and we get what we have now. You can't predict or stop flooding, but the local authorities on these flood plains should have emergency plans they can swing into action. How long has the water been rising? A week? Two? Seems like they don't take action unless you've got turds floating in your living room, by which time its too late, obviously. The way global weather is going, government, local authority, and utility companies are going to have to put far more emphasis on protecting people. Unfortunately, its the people affected that will end up paying for it, in more ways than one.
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 14:27:17 GMT -1
Post by claer on Jul 24, 2007 14:27:17 GMT -1
My 91 yr old Gran is in Llangarron near the Wye. She has sand bags and food/water stocks. Last we heard from her the brook below the house was up to the first of the six steps into the house. It hasn't risen that high since she has been there (since 1967). Fortunately, neighbours are looking out for her. She doesn't want to shift unless she has to.
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Floods
Jul 24, 2007 19:33:03 GMT -1
Post by arth_frown on Jul 24, 2007 19:33:03 GMT -1
Hi Craig I hope your house will be OK.
One of my neighbours was bailing out there house, apparently there's a drainage ditch running along the back gardens that has been blocked along it's route by builders.
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