This rain

Yes. of someone who owned or lived near or on 'Ings' somewhere.

Last night the road outside our house began to flood. It is a good three feet below our house, and we didn't flood in 2007, although 40 or so houses in the village did so we do not expect the water to reach us. It had drained by this morning, but with more rain forecast for the next two days, we could be marooned.

I drove along the river Thames in my area and some of the villages beside it this morning. I have never seen such extensive flooding in the 20 years I have lived here. I was on the A34 west of Oxford yesterday and for about half a mile to the west of the road there was water as far as the eye could see, it looked a bit like the Somerset levels.

I think the dramas in the west country, coastal and the Somerset Levels has rather hidden how bad it is getting in other parts of the country.

It may well have done, although Thames Valley was on the news a lot the other week. I read ages ago that Paul and Debbie Daniels wanted to raise their home on stilts, but were refused permission. Why on earth were they refused permission? I think their house, amongst others, was flooded. DH said "sue whoever refused permission!"

Round us the Environment Agency, actually, I think it was pre-EA and was Thames Conservancy, insisted that one small development of houses on the flood plain close to the confluence of the R Ock and the Thames at Abingdon should be built on stilts, although the garage is at ground level. I noticed this morning that the rivers had begun to flood their gardens and garages.

A friend, who lives near the Thames further down told me how, for the same reasons, some houses in his village were built with the garages at ground level and habitable rooms overhead, but that over the years a number of house owners have turned their garages into habitable rooms, which have of course flooded in recent weeks. Those flooded have been up in arms but got scant sympathy because it is just pointed out to them why their houses are built the way they were.

We will have to start really thinking about how to work with consequences of climate change not tinkering at the edges.

I have just started looking for some good information about these Flood management issues.

Here are a few sites that might interest any one besides myself who is a bit of a nerd for things geographical!

I like to get information about causes and possible solutions from more technical sources than is given in those vague sound bite proclamations by politicians and the press.

Their solutions tend to follow the adage, "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." - by H. L. Mencken -

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/water_rivers/river_flooding_management_rev5.shtml

www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/flood_risk_management.aspx

thebritishgeographer.weebly.com/floods-and-river-management.html
Too late to read tonight thhough.ugbh

Whoops! The the last sentence should read .. "Too late to read tonight though. It clearly is.

Night! Night!

Will look tomorrow nightie night

I do not understand, Flickety, why there is no mention of the floods around Oxford on the news. When you look at the EA floodmaps, there is a big problem in that area. My dad's family are from Reading. He was born on Kennetside, and some of them still live there. That has a flood warning.

I woke this morning and looked outside. The streetlights seemed to be shining off the road, so I looked a little harder and realised that the road was flooded.

I wandered outside in the dark and still in my dressing gown and within sight of my front garden the flood looks as extensive as the flooding in 2007. Once it is light and I am dressed I will put my wellies on and go out and inspect. I do hope no houses are flooded. Some of the people flooded in 2007 were out of their houses for nearly 2 years.

Fortunately, although the road is flooded it is sunk below the level of the houses on either side. It will need to rise about a metre to threaten us. We are not officially on the flood plain, just 30 foot from the line marking it!

Sounds like us Flickerty we're on the edge of a flood plain too. Happily no sign of floods here yet, though how much more the ground can take I don't know. If we have a real deluge this weekend it may all change.

Hope you and everyone else is safe. It must be horrendous to have your house flood.

Trouble is how accurate are these flood zone maps. If all the readings for rainfall are the 'highest since records began' how do we know where the boundaries are any more?

Oh dear just looked at tomorrow's forecast for my area. Storm going on all day. If you need to go out, go today. If you want some fresh air - go today. I am getting a bit concerned about my sister - she lives on her own with a big river at the bottom of her garden in Ireland. The garden has never flooded but this is a record year. Council promised sandbags but they have not turned up.
The Thames near Oxford is often flooded where the A34 crosses over to the north and west of the city - but its a flood plain, doing what flood plains have always done - giving the water a place to go. Suitable only for grazing land. I wonder if this year might prompt the planners to stop granting planning permission to developers to build on flood plains.
I love that quote nellie

As if people don't have enough to contend with there are now reports of looters A few days ago a farmer reported that all his oil had been stolen, so apart from trying to make sure his family and animals are safe he now has no heating or hot water.

This morning local radio has reported that 3 men have been arrested and charged with going equipped. They were found in a 4 x 4 with oil cans and a pump.

Why is it that when there is a disaster like this while most of us are wondering what we can do to help, some just look on it as an opportunity to take something that doesn't belong to them

If you have a look on the environment agency website there is a live flood warning map. Last night when I looked at it, there were a few yellow warnings in the North. Now Naburn Lock in York has a red one.
The whole of East Anglia looks as if it is on red alert now.