flooding

Originally Posted by hovis

they say its going to cost over a billion quids worth of damage,

Funny that, I heard the following on the news this morning:

"Insurers say that the costs could run into tens of millions, if thousands of homes are affected."

Note the "if".

Originally Posted by Baph

I agree, the flooding in general is bizzare! If you look at Environment Agency (the folks who should know) flood risk maps, the area's around sheffied show a little bit of flooding, but nothing major. Certainly nothing anywhere near as bad as what has actually happened.

Then look at the maps for Doncaster. According to the maps, if too many chavs gob on the floor in Doncaster, it's time to completely evacuate, it's at very high risk of flood. What's happened there? Sod all.

I can only really put it down to flood defences. Since Doncaster is at high risk, I'd imagine the local authority have spent a fair wedge. Sheffield being minimal risk will of spent almost nothing at a guess. I was taught in school that if you stop a flood happening somewhere, it gets worse further down river. Obviously politicians never went to school...

Sheffield apparently spent a great deal of money on drainage measures to reduce the risk of flooding some years ago (I've been here since the end of 1993). The problem is that rainwater drains off the Peak District into the Rivers Sheaf and Don and then flows downstream to Doncaster. Doncaster probably spent a great deal of money on flood defences because of the potential for runoff rainwater swelling the Don and causing flooding in Rotheram and Doncaster. This time, there was so much rain that the Don burst its banks in Sheffield and Rotherham and had dissapated before reaching Doncaster.

Sheffield is however finally drying out, and waiting for the next forecast onslaught

Tim

aye forecast bad weather for next 4 days at least. In Castleford, there were a number of roads closed.