Flooding

[NeilB]

1 hour ago, Bikertov said:

I'm still in Bushey !

Is that the bit in front of Tesco ?

At least I am at the top of the Heath. It would take a LOT of flooding for my house to be affected. Like biblical amounts, literally 

The hotel is actually behind Tesco, just past Water Lane tunnel.  I was in Rudolph rd, just off Bushey high street.  Mum was born in Victoria rd on the Heath.  Like you say if that floods, we’re all in trouble - think it’s the highest spot in Hertfordshire!!

[Bikertov]

26 minutes ago, NeilB said:

The hotel is actually behind Tesco, just past Water Lane tunnel.  I was in Rudolph rd, just off Bushey high street.  Mum was born in Victoria rd on the Heath.  Like you say if that floods, we’re all in trouble - think it’s the highest spot in Hertfordshire!!

That’s not too far from me at all

Not sure how true it is, but I'm told that if you look directly eastward from the top of Bushey Heath, the next highest point is actually Russia !

[LizG]

I was over at Merry Hill a few weeks back - agree the views are quite impressive especially as you come across the X roads at Elstree. Been plodding the footpaths around that area quite a bit recently as we have just recorded the first Hertfordshire (for 25 years they say) Brown Hairstreak butterfly eggs in the area - hence my walk yesterday!  All 9 1/2 miles and almost no blackthorn which the eggs are laid on!  Section 41 species!

[Bikertov]

There are some great vantage points in the area giving amazing views over London. Even driving down Stanmore Hill on a clear day is quite a sight. 

And FYI, just checked my phone and the GPS is showing that in my house I'm atp an altitude of about 650ft

So I reckon I should be safe from any flooding if I stay put 

[LizG]

I parked at the  Harrow viewpoint on Monday and you could see the planes coming into Heathrow and the ones coming out to the west!  The area might not get flooded but the paths are seriously muddy with running water coming down the hillsides

[Bikertov]

Yes, the area around the A41 roundabout at the bottom of Elstree Hill has been a nightmare this week, as it is a low low point. Streams of water running down the hill

[LizG]

28 minutes ago, Bikertov said:

Yes, the area around the A41 roundabout at the bottom of Elstree Hill has been a nightmare this week, as it is a low low point. Streams of water running down the hill

I was about to say I went through the water on Monday but it was actually the roundabout on the A411 when it goes under the M1 - it was coming down the hill from what I think might be a small pumping station?

(it might not be the Broads but its still flooding so not a complete drift of thread)

[Happy]

1 hour ago, Bikertov said:

There are some great vantage points in the area giving amazing views over London. Even driving down Stanmore Hill on a clear day is quite a sight. 

And FYI, just checked my phone and the GPS is showing that in my house I'm atp an altitude of about 650ft

So I reckon I should be safe from any flooding if I stay put 

Likewise Hawkinge in Kent where we live 

[ChrisB]

2 hours ago, LizG said:

I parked at the  Harrow viewpoint on Monday and you could see the planes coming into Heathrow and the ones coming out to the west!  The area might not get flooded but the paths are seriously muddy with running water coming down the hillsides

When we first married we rented a semi in Sudbury Town. On a nice evening after work we would drive to Old Redding and have a few jars in The Case is Altered. Happy days. I have not been there since 1973.

Or Horsenden Hill, but The Ballot Box was not so nice a pub.

 

[Bikertov]

Lol - back in the day, Horsenden Hill was where youth would drive to for a late evening with their girlfriends, if you know what I mean 

[NeilB]

46 minutes ago, Bikertov said:

Lol - back in the day, Horsenden Hill was where youth would drive to for a late evening with their girlfriends, if you know what I mean 

Snap!!  And the Harrow viewpoint, although I understand the gates are locked in the evening now to prevent such behaviour!!

Wow, flooding to hook up spots in one thread! 

[LizG]

8 minutes ago, NeilB said:

Snap!!  And the Harrow viewpoint, although I understand the gates are locked in the evening now to prevent such behaviour!!

Wow, flooding to hook up spots in one thread! 

Yes they are at 4pm in the winter, later in summer, so the pub no longer has a carpark in the evening! Their website gave their opening hours which included Monday lunchtime but it looked shut!!!

[LizG]

1 hour ago, Bikertov said:

Lol - back in the day, Horsenden Hill was where youth would drive to for a late evening with their girlfriends, if you know what I mean 

That carpark is closed off now

[Mouldy]

We’ve not long been back from a trip to a garden centre on the western outskirts of Norwich.  The route took us across The Wensum, near Ringland or Taverham and the flooding in the area is awful.  One of the routes was impassable due to floodwater, necessitating us to turn round and go the other way.  This was also flooded, but passable.

I couldn’t take photos, as I was driving, but the course of the river was impossible to distinguish, with all of the surrounding fields underwater.  There’s an awful lot of water there to eventually make its way through Norwich, merge with The Yare and drain out to sea.

[SwanR]

I’ve seen photos on Facebook today of the flooding the NBD side of Wroxham bridge. Way worse than it was when I was down there a few days ago. But then we had almost 48 hours of rain over Wednesday and Thursday. It’s just not managing to clear before the next downpour arrives. 

[Karizma]

Home moorings were completed flooded all day so needed to carry dog off the boat as he'd have needed to swim to the banking for a walk !!!

Moored on the floating pontoon at the Tea Gardens so at least no problem going for a walk this evening.

 

[Gracie]

Beautiful photo 

Stay safe x

[BroadAmbition]

Needed wellies to get to t’other of the wetshed today. Flood water up to Richo’s engineers shed doors too

Griff

[SwanR]

Report in the EDP about the Ferry Inn Horning. And I also saw one yesterday about the Nippy Chippy at PH having to close. 

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24141908.ferry-inn-horning-norfolk-broads-hit-flooding

[Wussername]

33 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Report in the EDP about the Ferry Inn Horning. And I also saw one yesterday about the Nippy Chippy at PH having to close. 

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24141908.ferry-inn-horning-norfolk-broads-hit-flooding

Our present predicament is absolutely nothing compared to that which Norfolk and its population had to endure in past years. Lives lost, homes lost, destroyed. Families eliminated.

I remember as a young child visiting the devastation. I remember the contribution made by USA servicemen during those times. It wa a most difficult time. 

We came so close to loosing The Norfolk Broads as we know it. 

And yet that risk still exists. Happisburgh, Winterton, Hemsby. Wells, all vunerable. 

What is the answer. Web sites, forums,  BRAG.

All of which  are neither fishing or mending nets.

What is rhe answer?

We need a concentration of minds which at this present motion in time is sadly lacking.

What do you suggest?

[Ray]

6 hours ago, Bikertov said:

Lol - back in the day, Horsenden Hill was where youth would drive to for a late evening with their girlfriends, if you know what I mean 

I know exactly what you mean... and so does my Mrs! We both grew up in Greenford! Happy Days 👍

[marshman]

The short answer is stop it raining!!! So far this February the area has seen 2 1/4 times the average rainfall for this month and somewhere I saw the bizarre fact, if it is one, that this February has been the wettest February since somewhere around 1846. Combine this with what we have already had, excluding this month and the fact that unquestionably sea levels are rising, and I think we are coping as well as could be expected!

There has been no loss of life and little real inconvenience - there has been isolated flooding but given the above that is not hardly surprising! Whilst I have some marginal sympathy with farmers, lets remember that a number of them have been architects of their own difficulties by turning what was grazing marsh, into arable land.

As Mouldy quite rightly says the Upper Wensum, Tud and Yare are everywhere upstream, but with spring tides around, the ability to release this excess through New Mills in Norwich is limited - those of you who have cruised this stretch of river will be familiar with the sheet piling normally exposed and probably10/15 ' high. Not now, the water the other day meant the water was almost overlapping  - where do you send the water when the sluices cannot be opened because the river is full??

It will drain when the sluices can be opened and the Yare downstream and the Wensum, go down to allow it, but until then you will have to put up with a little inconvenience and keep your fingers crossed for Divine intervention - and no heavy rain preferably!!

 

[NeilB]

If you not aware of the 1953 floods there's plenty of info online but Wussernames post gives a good idea, in Norfolk alone exactly 100 people died.  My great aunt was rescued from the roof of her Sea Palling bungalow by the lifeboat in 1953, which she recalled frequently! 

I don't know if anyone who read the minutes and attended the meeting picked up on this - "on the 21 st/22nd December we had one of the biggest surges we have seen on the Broads. We have been incredibly fortunate that it came on a low tide. There was a surge of over 1.5m to 2m in some places and that is what pushed all the up. This meant that the three top-end gauges on the rivers and they recorded their maximum heights all through this period on that time. Not only that but they were the highest heights recorded this century"

What's not shown in the minutes but can be heard in the recording, is the chap from the EA saying "Had this occurred on a high tide we'd be looking at a 1953 situation".........

 

Whatever the causes are, this is going to happen again so the authorities need to be planning for this eventuality. 

[dom]

1 hour ago, NeilB said:

What's not shown in the minutes but can be heard in the recording, is the chap from the EA saying "Had this occurred on a high tide we'd be looking at a 1953 situation".........

That probably ought to be flagged with Duncan Baker's team. I watched live and it was fairly clear in the bloke's demeanour that he meant it. It was particularly notable, as I think the rest of the time he came across as particularly smug, almost laughing patronisingly at times when pressure was put on him. He seemed incapable of any sort of objectivity.

I'm quite surprised there's not been more comment after the meeting about the standpoint of the various organisations amongst the boating fraternity. I suspect it's because inconveniently it doesn't fit the narrative of putting the blame on Packman. Unfortunately, I think this is possibly a key issue. Too many people are trying to make flooding a BA issue. I'm absolutely in favour of major reform of the BA but, having sat through how ever many hours of discussion it was at the meeting, I'm firmly of the opinion that EA are the ones who need to step up. Ironically, elsewhere, they're currently recruiting staff to decide where to spend £200m they've been given for flood risk mitigation.

[marshman]

The EA have had the final say on dredging, both where and how much, for many years now - or rather they have to approve it, which effectively amounts to the same thing.

I have been trying to tell members here that for as long as I can remember, but as you have suggested, it suits, to put the blame on someone you can directly relate to rather than some faceless civil servant no one knows! I am not saying the BA are faultless by any means but its nice to see your overall views!

Lets hope for a drier March so this bl**dy water can get away!