Topic: storms

[Debs]

have been feeling sorry for the people caught up in these awful storms and flooding.  some of them since just before xmas.  that poor farmer having to move his cattle at last today...  close to tears when speaking..openly admitting he had already had 2 bouts of crying earlier in the day.
some of the pictures ive seen in the different papers online have been awful..amazing photographs but not a nice topic when you know its someones livlihood or home in ruins. 
 this video on you tube is from cheisel beach...  watch for the "wave"

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84EQtsgA0_8&feature=share

[Mike Hawkins]

It is interesting that Ministers and MP's have "passed the buck" to the Environment Agency when the budget and EA priorities are set by Government!

Again, if all is well, the Government claims the credit, when things fail, it is the fault of others!!

[charlie finbow]

Yep Mike you are right, but slippery Dave is visiting Somerset and will no doubt blame the rest of the world.

[wanderlust]

He's now promising all the necessary money.  Seeing as were skint, where's it coming from?  Foreign aid budget maybe, but I doubt it.  Some other poor sod will have to go without.

[Michael]

Yep Mike you are right, but slippery Dave is visiting Somerset and will no doubt blame the rest of the world.

He did suggest that the pause in dredging that took place in the late 90s was wrong, but he didn't say why, with the severe weather forecasted for January, and the fact that farmers union leaders had written to him asking for help on the Somerset levels some weeks ago, these factors had been ignored.
His timing was perfect yesterday however, in and out of the area by helicopter, in time for the evening news bulletins.

[Debs]

picture is from portleven in cornwall .... 

ive always said we are very lucky to live here in westbury. small, pretty town. protected by the hills from a lot of the weather that mother nature throws at us. this is never more true that this moment when the coastal areas are being ravaged by these terrible storms and the somerset leves are still fast under feets of water and have been since before christmas. we should all think ourselves very lucky and not moan about a bit of rain. others arent so lucky .. this picture is from portleven in cornwall... fabulous camera shot..but im sure the people living there are in danger and dont think the picture is nice

help and money is needed in the uk... services and care are being stopped.. benefits are also being stopped for many..PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO USE FOOD BANKS.... bed room tax?? need i go on... people have been evacuated out of their homes.. no idea when they are going back or even if they have anything to go back too... the government has been procrastinating for weeks over this.. the buck has been passed around to different agencies.. AND STILL THE GOVERNMENT DONATE MONEY TO AFRICA WHEN ITS NEEDED HERE ..    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../UK-gives-19million-aid


and yes this is a post and picture from spotted westbury on facebook...  which i sent into them in the first place   

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[Mike Hawkins]

Here is your answer Debs!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238017/UK-gives-19million-aid-South-Africa--president-spends-17-5million-palace.html

My belief is that the Overseas Development Fund should be abolished completely, give that amount of money (to be £15 billion by 2017) back to UK taxpayers and pensioners, and let them make a humanitarian decision (not "I want to be seen as an International Statesman") on which charities to support!  Of course this will not appeal to those who believe they know better on how to spend our money, but do not make any voluntary payment under the current system, and probably would not, under the proposed!

[Michael]

 



help and money is needed in the uk... services and care are being stopped.. benefits are also being stopped for many..PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO USE FOOD BANKS.... bed room tax?? need i go on... people have been evacuated out of their homes.. no idea when they are going back or even if they have anything to go back too... the government has been procrastinating for weeks over this.. the buck has been passed around to different agencies.. AND STILL THE GOVERNMENT DONATE MONEY TO AFRICA WHEN ITS NEEDED HERE ..    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../UK-gives-19million-aid

Well said Debs, you realize what you've said is political though. 

[Debs]

is it political??  bloody hell and here is me saying i know nothing about politics and dont think it should come into everyday life and here i go spouting it!!!  lol  wonders will never cease...


BTW   that story about donating millions is apparently 2 yrs old...  first in the papers in 2012   grrr   but it still stnd s though...  the government has given millions to hurriacane clean ups, tsunami clearups. and i dont doubt there has been a few donations given over the past 2 years when we have all had to tighten our belts and cut back every way we can.  benefits been slashed, . any major incident across the world and we are there digging in our coffers and helping out...  who helps us when we have a crisis??    who comes and rebuild our sea walls, railways tracks, who dredges out our streams , rivers when the farmers cant find their lands and homes..  who helps when families are split up trying to find somewhere safe and dry for them to stay until they can go back into their own homes only for it to happen again and again because the rivers still havent been cleared out properly..because drains havent been touched for years

[Mike Hawkins]

Yes Debs, this IS political, BUT, politics is about the well-being of a people - something OUR politicians have lost sight of!

Politics (from Greek: politikos, meaning "of, for, or relating to citizens")

[Debs]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556043/Sign-petition-calling-Government-divert-foreign-aid-flood-hit-British-families.html

Ive signed and not ashamed or embarassed to admit it .       Charity begins at home .  Why should we as a nation be prepared for our government to sent millions every year abroad when this country is in a bad state as it is.   Benefits are being slashed left right and centre...  people are using food banks ... elderly are choosing heating or food and now the added insults because of not dredging the rivers many people have had their homes and  businesses totally ruined by others peoples  actions or none actions /decisions ......

[charlie finbow]

Ah its not the right thing to blame the Government says a spokesman.     Wait for it..........Its the jet streams fault of which the Government have no controll over.......... The best excuse yet for total uselessness within Government.   Debs they only want to know us plebs when theres an election coming up, by then they will no doubt promise to controll the jet stream for the benefit of all.   Total load of small spherical objects.   Go back to the old days when farmers were paid to do ditching and the water board did dredging, stop building on flood plains, take political didgets out of bum, put brain cell in gear and wake up and stop interfering in the rest of the world.

[Al]

The Somerset levels are artificially drained land. They are below sea level. They will flood in extreme situations. We've had more rain than ever in the past 250 years, I suggest thats extreme. The government are not to blame for flooding. You could suggest the government responce has been less than good, but to blame the government/environment agency for the flooding is silly.

[Michael]

The Somerset levels are artificially drained land. They are below sea level. They will flood in extreme situations. We've had more rain than ever in the past 250 years, I suggest thats extreme. The government are not to blame for flooding. You could suggest the government responce has been less than good, but to blame the government/environment agency for the flooding is silly.

That is the point, they have been woefully slow in their response to floods in the South West, and much of this is the result of cuts to finance of the EA.
There are of course other reasons why floods are occurring, but most of these are because of cuts in public spending at local level.
Take a look for your selves, block drains, inadequate sewage and waste water management, badly managed river flow, and some of this is down to the privatised water industry.
The main objective now should be to provide the cash to alleviate the suffering caused by these floods, after that some long term planning wouldn't go amiss. 

[charlie finbow]

Well said Michael. When did you last see our drains in Westbury being cleaned.