Although not flood related, I travelled down the M8/M74/M6 by car today. Witnessed 4 seasons (even had shades on at one point it was that sunny) and unfortunately, I also witnessed 3 lorries on their side.

Just spoke to my parents in Hunstanton who have a shop on the seafront. The boarding and concrete steps in front of the shop have been smashed to pieces. Shutters are badly damaged. 😥
Won’t know the full extent of the damage until after tomorrow mornings high tide.

Well I was with the forecasting guys at the EA yesterday and as the model runs for the tide came in it was an anxious time. They don’t issue a severe very often because the implications are huge. It will be a terrible time for some people tonight. Be thankful that we have so much better flood defences and warning systems in place than in 53.

We ran an exercise last year that simulated this occurrence, now it’s time to get it right for real.

Stay safe.

James

Cogglepin – Stallingborough.

Which shop cheers drive?

Apparently the River Tees is now on top of the A66 near Stockton and it’s impossible to tell where the car parks end and the harbour starts in Whitby.

I must admit a few years ago I thought “yeah right, stealth tax etc”, but now it’s becoming a reality all over the world. The Philippines, Hurricane Sandy, various F5 tornadoes, two hurricane force storms in a month over here, it’s all adding up and it’s not even properly winter yet!

On the other hand “The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season was the first Atlantic hurricane season since 1994 to end with no known major hurricanes”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Atlantic_hurricane_season

The increase in reported tornadoes over recent decades is down to increased reporting through better communications, weather radar etc.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/mccarthy/tor30yrs.pdf

It’s winter we get storms sometimes.

Which shop cheers drive?

Johnson’s

Did that used to be on the corner opposite the green on Westgate?

We didn’t listen!

That shop is now an estate agents but the one on the seafront under the carpark next to the 3 in 1 -now The Waterside – is still run by them. Before I left Hunstanton nearly 20 years ago I used to work there too.

Enviro Agency haveissues a warning for my road . South coast , Hampshire.
I live 100m from the sea , so will be assembling a grab bag in minute ,just in case . Probably wont come to anything as its very calm here tonight .
Sea defences just rebuilt using 70,000 tonnes of granite to make large groynes to break up the waves .

20 years ago? Travel back about 24 years ago I would have been in the back of your shop, past all the wool and nonsense at the front looking at the burago model of the group B Peugeot 205 that I saved all summer for. 😀

Dropped it this year and had to throw it.. 😥

Roughly where’s your property dirtyrider? I might be able to tell you if it’s ok.

its fine, far enough away, would have to be a huge surge to reach it i think looking at the stuff from 60 years ago

We live just off the sea front at deal kent. Got an email off the EA last night saying sand bag the doors etc but high tide is not until after midnight so will not know about the damage until the morning

Hope it’s ok.

some pictures of the flooding of new brighton and west kirby,wirral plenty of work for contract cleaners , car removal trucks and bricklayers.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115867557921985666080/WirralFlooding5December2013#

Pictonrd – My mum ran that town shop that had wool but I used to make the burago model displays at the seafront shop.
Apparently there is quite a bit of damage but at least the shop is closed for the winter so they have a few months to sort it out.

She had some in the back too, might have been even longer ago tbh.

Did you know anyone else in Hunstanton, I’m 36 so it’s a while ago!

Sorry to hear about the damage, hope it’s not too bad.

Tamiya model kits and Lego too but mostly cheap tat.
I’m 37 and grew up in sunny Hunny, still have a couple of friends that I grew up with and most of me extended family still live there.

The tamiya model kits with the electric motors!! I’ve just gone into reminiscing overdrive..

I spent every day of school holidays on my bike on the ringstead downs or learning drop off on the prom..

Which school did you go to?

Smithdon
I used to ride in the woods at the ringstead end of the downs too. Back then I thought that was mountain biking!

It was! My mates and I built that little bike track in the woods and chalk pit near ringstead on the downs, perfect for my Raleigh Mustang.. I grew up in ringstead on the Peddars Way. Went to Glebe House School.

Cool reminiscing, hope your parents are ok tomorrow.

James

Mustang was my first ‘mtb’ although by the time I ventured off road I had a GT.
Where do you live now?
I’ve lived in MK, Nottingham, and Bristol before returning closer to home in Ely.

I did have a bit of a chuckle though this morning listening to the news. When there’s a storm down South STW’s Northerners are queueing up to blather on about how bad weather in the South is over-reported and no-one pays any attention to them and their weather.
Well there’s nothing going on down here and the Scottish/Northern storm is headline news all day long. So shut your mahf.

Yeah. Bloody northerners. It’s not like it is relevant to the south.

Oh.

Miles away, down on the South Coast near to Brighton.

I lived in Ely for a few years, bought a house on Victoria Street by the cutter and then Chiefs Street. Loved Ely, a really nice vibe. Best bookshop in the uk when I lived there, Toppings.

Wow small world. I live not far from Chief’s street. Ely is good apart from the flatness and shite roads.
As you say good reminiscing.

Yeh, I climb further (2000ft+) in one 3hr night ride than a whole years biking up that way, it’s the main reason I couldn’t stay.

That and the ex…

I came from Bristol do know what you mean. Although I’m mainly road biking now and I swear it’s harder on the flats with no break from pedalling that tge hills.

Not just here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25243460
Latest Beeb news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25220224

My photo job was cancelled tonight at The Customs House, South Shields – arrived to find a sea of flashing blue lights and got turned away as the whole place was full of water.

source: BBC News

My photo job was cancelled tonight at The Customs House, South Shields – arrived to find a sea of flashing blue lights and got turned away as the whole place was full of water.

The Tyne has been quite badly affected.

Pass that section on my commute. Water was jut coming up to 2″ as I went past. Caused traffic chaos when they shut the road but they were still letting bikes through.

Unfornunately Jaywick in Essex survived the devastation (no really)

Crikey that pic ^^^^^^ looks like many a scene from a disaster zone 😯

we were called to boston yesterday teatime as water rescue, spent the evening wading waist high through the estates and transporting them by boat to dry ground.

very sad wading through peoples houses watching their possessions floating around. i know theres no good time for it to happen, but itll be a miserable christmas for them 🙁

Wow, Norfolk looks like it’s had a battering 🙁
Hemsby has lost several houses and part of its lifeboat station to the sea, they’ve been trying to get some funding for sea defences for ages bless them. I was there in the summer and those cliffs are very fragile.
I wonder if Happisburg has been reclaimed by the sea some more?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-25254808