Catkins Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 The first big blow of this year did not affect me in my little 7.5Tonner, but this one did. I was sat at a customer in Cambridge, just by the A14, and I could feel the wind blowing and rocking my vehicle, and as I drove out of Cambridge, I saw a tree had fallen on top of a car. With the wind, rain and extreme high tides I feel that restricting travel was the right thing to do - especially as I saw fallen trees in Newark and Lincoln on Friday, I'm glad that it is easing now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catkins Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 We had booked to stay in Boston some weeks ago. So this morning when I found out that it had flooded and no trains I thought that we would be making alternative plans. Ian On thursday, Boston residents were advised to evacuate to a sports centre to the west of the town, but that looked to be at risk of flooding as well, so everyone who was there were then evacuated to Grantham. But not everywhere suffered, my co-worker lives in Kirton and he didn't get flooded at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 We are heartbroken about the baby seals all gone at Hemsby.We used to love going down to see them when it was sunny and quiet and our little grandson saw his first seal pup last year .Now it seems they are all gone as are much other wildlife caught in natures whirl. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Think that the right actions were taken just look at those houses in Norfolk and other places caught in the surge at least it was not like 1953 no communications then but vastly different now and different transport systems .I hope that in future this action will be taken at least its not like the air problems today as usual no information and lots of angry passengers why fly internaly in the UK go by train. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted December 8, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2013 We are heartbroken about the baby seals all gone at Hemsby.We used to love going down to see them when it was sunny and quiet and our little grandson saw his first seal pup last year .Now it seems they are all gone as are much other wildlife caught in natures whirl. Donna Nook as well I should think? P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Donna Nook as well I should think? P Looks like it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-25279853 Apparently a lot of them were "displaced", but they don't think many died. They're out looking for pups separated from their mothers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Think that the right actions were taken just look at those houses in Norfolk and other places caught in the surge at least it was not like 1953 no communications then but vastly different now and different transport systems The 1953 disaster seems to have been something of a national disgrace with a degree of government complacency. Basically, nothing was done to warn people living in often fairly marginal housing as the storm surge worked its way down the coast over the course of many hours. There were communications in 1953, at the very least via local police stations. Storm surges working their way down the East coast and building in height due to the funnel shape of the North Sea have been fairly regular occurences for centuries and it was only eight years after the war when Britain had a very well developed civil defence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted December 9, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 9, 2013 The 1953 disaster seems to have been something of a national disgrace with a degree of government complacency. Basically, nothing was done to warn people living in often fairly marginal housing as the storm surge worked its way down the coast over the course of many hours. There were communications in 1953, at the very least via local police stations. Storm surges working their way down the East coast and building in height due to the funnel shape of the North Sea have been fairly regular occurences for centuries and it was only eight years after the war when Britain had a very well developed civil defence. When I lived in Essex I found a fascinating book in my local library produced by Essex County Council after the 1953 floods. From memory, it highlighted the problems of communicating with people as many of the police stations had no working telephones because of the problems caused by the weather prior to the surge. Also very few people had any transport in the affected areas so evacuation was a problem. There was also mention of the problems of predicting what was going to happen as weather forecasting was much less accurate then and there were relatively few tide gauges. It was known there would be a very high tide but the actual height could not be accurately predicted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 On the whole, Sheringham in North Norfolk got off pretty lightly thanks in part to the massive concrete reinforcements put in place a few decades ago. Ugly as sin but they serve a purpose. I went down the day after to assess the damage to the lifeboat station and slipway, huge chunks of the promenade west from Sheringham town centre have simply been washed away together with a couple of significant landslides. There's currently no road or pedestrian access to the lifeboat station. A friend of mine who owns the seafront cafe on the prom is counting the cost after the waves came straight in through the security shutters and devastated the interior, ruining all the stock and fittings. One of the Sheringham lifeboat helmsmen took a series of photos during the surge, link below. Worth a look if you're interested. https://www.facebook.com/sheringhamlifeboat/photos_albums Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 9, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 9, 2013 One newspaper article over the weekend indicated that this storm surge was in fact far worse than 1953 although as a result of action following that one damage to property and loss of life was massively less. But as Lifeboatman's pics show the one thing we will never be able to control is the weather and its most extreme effects. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 My aunt lived in South Benfleet just across from Canvey Island the waters came up her road opposite the station which is very steep and all you could see across Canvey was water.It was a terrible time and the people on Canvey were in a terrible state with many dead ,you can see the defences built afterwards and this time they held.Peoples resilience to disasters is not as good as in the fifties so the preperations taken now are a necessary evil plus people do not look out for their neighbours as then . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted December 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 10, 2013 In 1953 folk were just coming out of the war years and so they were resilient but vulnerable due to lack of resources and infrastructure. I also believe that people did used to look out for one another more of the time and tended to know everyone in their area. However these days the response at the scenes of 'incidents' is often amazing with people risking their own lives for the sake of others. People are just more insular in their own communities, that is until there is an emergency. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted December 18, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2013 No panic as such in advance of this evening's storm, however two SWT services have hit trees this evening: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10886479.UPDATE__Train_hits_fallen_tree_in_Hampshire/?ref=var_0 also just on BBC South news. And we're not getting it that badly compared with the north. Sort of points out the hazard, doesn't it? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 more here.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25440292 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted December 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 19, 2013 Not sure whether extreme weather or extreme sport! Trains between Birmingham and Wolverhampton delayed last evening by a trampoline on the line near Galton Bridge. Anyone know more? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 The operators must have dealt with this incident by bouncing the trains back. These blanket restrictions must be effective, as there have been no reports of delays from blankets on the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Part of the canopy of Cork Kent station collapsed in the wind yesterday http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/thousands-without-power-as-status-red-warning-remains-1.1631691 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 23, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2013 im currently sat in didcot waiting for my train to ratcliffe which has dissapeared off the radar around wooton bassettt jn, not looking good over there, flooding according to the signaller http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/WTNBSTJ/2013/12/23/2053 and my train..... http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H67937/2013/12/23/advanced thankfully ive got a van to sit in as its positively biblical here at the mo!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted December 23, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2013 im currently sat in didcot waiting for my train to ratcliffe which has dissapeared off the radar around wooton bassettt jn, not looking good over there, flooding according to the signaller http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/WTNBSTJ/2013/12/23/2053 and my train..... http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H67937/2013/12/23/advanced thankfully ive got a van to sit in as its positively biblical here at the mo!! Would you normally take that all the way to Ratcliffe then Jim?? That's a long night if so! Maybe you'll get lucky and get an early one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Dienstleiter Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Very windy and wet in Kent this evening ... fifteen flood alerts in place and evacuation plans for the more vulnerable valleys being 'stood to' - what a way to approach Christmas. Just hope I don't get called out in this, have tanked up the car just in case though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted December 23, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2013 The storm force winds we've had here on the Cornish coast this evening have only just eased within the last 15 minutes. From the familiar roar and that sound of horizontal rain hammering my windows of the last 14 hours or so, its just gone eerily quiet! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapford34102 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 East Kent, heavy rain and wind gusting just shy of 60 mph and it hasn't peaked yet. Going to be a far from peaceful night. Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Trainshed Terry Posted December 23, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2013 You could be in the eye of the storm. Stay safe. Terry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 23, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2013 Would you normally take that all the way to Ratcliffe then Jim?? That's a long night if so! Maybe you'll get lucky and get an early one? the job is didcot to toton, not a bad job normally, 3 hours in leicester, sleeping time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Well thankfully the only natural disaster (afaik) to befall North Norfolk this time was the lid blowing off my recycling bin. Now I've got a bin half full of soggy cardboard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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