J G 927 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Most of Britain has been lashed by storms, here in Surrey we have had a bad time. My home town of Guildford is suffering from wide spread flooding the like of which I haven't seen in my 54 years. Many businesses, especially river side pubs have been submerged by several feet of water, loosing all their Christmas trade and disappointing many people. Roads out of our town are closed as the river Wey has burst its banks, as has the river Mole ton the north of us. Leatherhead, the town where I work has had a state of emergency issued as the flooding is so bad. There are many trees down, mostly the larger ones, strange sights with there roots torn from the ground by the wind. Rail services have ground to a halt here and the roads are grid locked as people find there way home blocked by several feet of water, even on the main roads. I have been lucky, having only had some water coming in through the roof. no damage, but the water was literally being blown up under the tiles. Much the same seems to be happening across the country, and we are due another storm on Boxing Day. So when you sit down to your Christmas dinner, spare a thought for those less fortunate than you, forced upstairs by a foot of filthy water in their kitchens and living rooms or forced out of their homes for the same reasons. Those with no electric power, a bunch of Christmas presents destroyed by muddy water, and a Christmas Dinner, ruined by flood water before it has even been cooked, not to mention the ruined furniture, and other costly items in the devastated area they call home, with perhaps a view of their car floating in the remains of their garden. I would post pictures I have taken here but cant as the internet connection I have is patchy and slow, I guess because the network is flooded. Look on the BBC News website and you will see. Happy Christmas everybody! Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 John, Good reminder that others somewhere are always less fortunate and are suffering some things most of us would find unimaginable. Best wishes to you and your family and I sincerely hope you continue to avoid the worst effects of all this. Merry Christmas. John Link to post Share on other sites
dogtrack 346 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Just seen the BBC news film footage. Massive damage across from Surrey to Avon in the west. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,310 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 That is horrible news. Best wishes to you and the family John. (sent a little prayer your way, hope you don't mind) Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 wow we knew it was going to be quite a storm but didnt expect this. We received some pics yesterday from an old neighbour of ours in Ash. and there the flooding was something we had never seen before.. Sad about Guildford our daughter used to work at Debenhams beside the river no doubt that would have been flooded on the ground floor. Looking at the weather map this morning I dont think the boxing day storm will hit till the 27th and there is a nasty looking bump on it which will pass through the north midlands, hopefully it wont be quite as bad in the south. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,495 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Thanks for that thought provoking post John, we are lucky to be on high ground there is some flooding around the rivers but not to the scale seen on TV.I would like to send out my greetings to everyone. Joe Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 According to the BBC weather report last night there was a record low of 938 mB <gulp> in Perthshire (worst for over 100 years). Poor old Scotland seems to be getting the worst of it at present, while we in the South brace ourselves for the next lot..... Where I am is around 200 ft above sea level, so the damage here (not too far from John in Guildford) was confined to blown flat fence panels and uprooted trees. Deep sympathies to all those affected, today of all days. Cheers, B. Link to post Share on other sites
Quickmarch 488 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 So sorry to hear of this. It must be awful. My condolences to all who are affected by this disaster. Link to post Share on other sites
J G 927 Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Some pictures of the flooding we have has to endure over Christmas.... The Pubs shut:- The good ship Debenhams:- This house was built in 1403, so probably not the first time then. There is a park under there somewhere. Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 John my wife is intrigued by your moravian badge on your signature Must admit this flooding in guildford is as as bad as I have ever seen it , I have seen that pub flooded like that before , and debenhams, my accountants office will no doubt be well submerged as he looked out onto the river on bridge st is weatherspoons flooded as well?? I understand yates is closed is that a sign of the economy or weather? Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,310 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 That looks horrible, sorry to see this. My best wishes go out to your town for a quick recovery. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 That's got to be just devastating. Has the water receded yet? John Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Well it has stopped raining for the moment John but there are still many flood warnings. I see it's a bit chilly in your neck of the woods, get those Christmas jumpers out. Stay warm. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Florida winter gear.... http://www.thefashionpolice.net/images/2008/05/29/socks_with_flip_flops_2_3.jpg Link to post Share on other sites
J G 927 Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 @ Britfrog. The lamb is the Paschal Lamb or the Lamb of God. Firstly don't think this is some sort of self aggrandisement on my behalf! It is the badge of the 2nd of foot Royal Queens Regiment, now long amalgamated into oblivion. The regiment was based at Guildford at Stoughton barracks (now a housing estate) which was closed in 1983. My paternal grandfather served with them in the first world war. I didn't see if Weatherspoons was impacted as I could not get to that part of Guildford it was cut off by flooding across the roads, However the shopping parade where Woolworths used to be was flooded, (there is a SuperDry there now, It was a SuperWet over Christmas), and so I guess they would have been. My wife has photos of the restaurant at the Yvonne Arnaud, all set out for Christmas Dinner, with an inch or so of muddy water for a carpet. Very disappointing for some. I don't know about Yates, but If they have a cellar then it was probably flooded, likewise Weatherspoons. Debenhams menswear in the lower ground floor was flooded. I almost got stuck myself because of flooding. My Wife works at St. Thomas' hospital in London and commutes by train. Christmas Eve she couldn't get any further home than Woking and so I had to drive out and get her. I got to the river Wey which I had to cross to get her and the road was flooded. I have a high ground clearance car so I thought, I can go through this. So I did, I almost didn't make it as I had to rev the engine to ensure water didn't go back down the exhaust. Unfortunately this caused a significant bow wave and I started to loose traction on my front wheel drive as the front of the car started to aquaplane up. I got through okay though and drove on around the next bend only to find my way blocked by another stretch of flooded road. This stretch was wider and deeper than the first. I was on an island! I turned round and has to risk it again through the first flood again, actually deeper than before as the river was rising rapidly. I made it through, but only just, and by this time there were three cars that had tried it and failed. I eventually managed to get through to my better half, but only by a very circuitous route. @john. Yes the water has dropped by about ten to twelve feet now and is more like it should be at this time of year. My son was in St.Louis working at Camp America over the summer, when he was there it was nice and warm, by UK standards hot. We have seen the reports from there of the incredible low temperatures there. For the camera, a BBC reporter threw a cup of boiling water in the air and as it left the cup it froze at once and fell as ice, incredible! It must be hard living through that, I guess you would be stuck in side, and difficult to get food etc. The worlds climate is surely doing funny things at the moment. We certainly haven't had so many storms line up one after another in my memory. Edit... Socks with flipflops! Not cool!.... but cool in another way..... if you see what I mean Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Quote It must be hard living through that, I guess you would be stuck in side, and difficult to get food etc. I lived in the far north for most of my life. Winter storms, which seemed worse when I was younger, were a fact of life and you learned to deal with them. They were an occasional event, not a constant. Bitter winter cold and wind was a more frequent thing, but caused fewer problems. In a serious blizzard, with a lot of snowfall, driving is kept to a minimum but isn't usually impossible. It's seldom necessary to hunker down for more than a day or so. The places most likely to get that kind of WX are also those best equipped to deal with it, organizationally, mentally and by way of infrastructure and equipment. Most people are wise enough to stock sufficient food, necessary medicines and emergency gear to ride the winter storms out. Forecasting is better now too, so as with hurricanes here, there's not much excuse for being caught unawares. The most dangerous factors are auto accidents and house fires, both usually avoidable by the application of that most uncommon of human attributes, basic common sense. In the past, heart attacks while shoveling snow was a common thread too, but not so much now. Snow-blowers are fairly cheap and many people have them. Four-wheel drive pickup trucks with plows seem to come out of the woodwork (or snow drifts) and the owners do a brisk business clearing driveways and parking lots for a steep fee - it's an opportunistic business and they have to make hay while the sun's not shining. Frozen water pipes are probably the biggest non-lethal hazard/inconvenience but again, prior proper preparation and planning prevents p*ss poor performance. Water pipes in the area where I lived were normally buried 48" or deeper. Exposed pipes are drained or insulated and protected by electric heat tapes, or just by letting a trickle of water run when severe cold is forecast. Like any other natural inconvenience/calamity nature can serve up, people in a given location seem to have a good idea what is possible, are prepared for it to a greater or lesser degree and just seem to take it in stride. Floods must be one of the worst because everyone in the affected zone is heavily impacted and significant property damage is pretty much universal. I really sympathize with those affected by the flooding there. Their lives are going to be impacted for months to come. John Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,310 Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Not a biggie(like JG's mess) but a sticky. I had a large soda bottle explode in my garage this morning, came out wet and froze as it hit EVERYTHING. Wall, ceiling, shelf and all the stuff on it, four feet around. Made a pretty good mess, lol, found the cap halfway across the two car garage. Welcome to the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Thanks for the news John, seems quite a doozy of a flood, we lived in the ASH, Ash vale area for 25 years and did see Guildford flooded pretty badly on a couple of occasions but I think this must be the worst for some long time. I can remember the Yvonne Arnaud being flooded before as well and If my fading memory serves me that was around christmas time as well, beacuse the panto was cancelled. we used to pass Stoughton barracks every day to take our kids to school in Guildford. Heres hoping that things can return to normality some time soon Link to post Share on other sites
hlminx 301 Posted January 12, 2014 Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Shocking photos John.. puts it into perspective when you see just how far up the door frame the water line is. Glad you managed to pick up your wife ok. Sounds scary being marooned like that. My car is so low to the deck that you can't even get a packet of Polos under it so if it rains I'm pretty much stuffed! Glad to hear that the levels have gone down a bit. Guess we're all in for the big freeze now. I went out last night at six and it was already down to below freezing. Trouble is that in this country we don't get enough of the really bad weather for the local councils and transportation infrastructure to have a decent plan to deal with it. Pretty embarrassing for us Brits when you see how most other countries on the planet deal with these climate shifts.. Lets hope things improve soon.. can't say I was too chuffed when my in-laws in South Africa sent us a photo of their thermometer pushing 40° yesterday Take care all ps. John A - I love those socks! Reminded me of a pair I wore when I was in Japan . they're pretty comfy Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now