To think that the Gvt should get its head out of the sand and declare a national emergency?

[Destinysdaughter]

I fortunately do not live in any of the areas affected by flooding but bloody hell, if this isn't now a national emergency I don't know what is? Just been watching it on the news and the complacency from our so called leaders is staggering! What's it gonna take? The Thames is now breaking its banks. Will it take the Houses of Parliament to be flooded before they take it seriously and help people...?

And anyone who says this isn't to do with climate change is off their rocket! (IMO)

Wow, that map is worrying. Sheffield by the sea. I better get on with that ark.

I lived in Cockermouth when it and the rest of west Cumbria flooded in 2009. The town was basically decimated, life boats were being launched from the end of my road, I have friends whose cars ended up in the sea (9 miles away), but all the national media cared about was the dramatic pictures of bridges falling down and voyeurism of the family of the policeman who died. No prime ministerial or environment agency visits for us, no calls for action, no nothing.

However, the minute the south east gets hit, the floods dominate the news, and there are more ministerial visits and calls for action than you can shake a stick at.

Shit's only real when it happens in the south east apparently.

actually, that isnt true, the flooding in the SW has been headline news for a while now before it hit the SE. People in the SW feel as remote from London as you do.

Agreed, BUT there has only been talk of diverting foreign aid money to help flood victims and substantive arguments between the cabinet and environment agency about what must be done since it hit the south east. Before then it was all shocking pictures of big waves and broken train lines, ie voyeurism and entertainment.

Not saying it isn't news when it happens elsewhere, just that the tone and calls for action are very different.

Meant to say, I don't agree with diverting foreign aid money, just that this is an example of how much more things are viewed and treated as a national emergency when they happen in the south east.

I think also it is hitting a large number of homes because of the denser population around the Thames.

Rallytog, I'm sure you must have been watching a different news to me.

Perhaps Kitten. But maybe because I've worked in the media, I'm also more used to spotting the bigger picture in how they cover major events like this. Trust me, the approaches between news affecting the south east and the news affecting everywhere else are very different. I was guilty of this myself when I was a journo, and I was born and bred in the north.

I very much enjoy your weather threads by the way.

Rally, it's not the south east though is it? It's Somerset levels which have been dominating the news.

I don't agree that it's a national emergency. It's awful for the people living there and the government should step in and give help. And if anybody's to blame it's those so called experts who in the end haven't done anything except go to committee meetings and waffle. IMHO.

It is always interesting to see how different people view things :)

Yes Bowler, but how long did Somerset have to wait for the army to be called in? Berkshire got them in a day!

Mylittlepot - I'm guessing you're near me?!
We were on flood alert but for those that got flooded, it was devastating.
And the lack of sandbags (which were turned down from a local council) was crap.

rallytog - I wonder if its more a reflection of how slow the government works rather than a regional bias? To me it seems that they stick their head in the sand and hope the bad weather goes away. I've seen it with snow where slowly it dawns on them its just not melting!

I've just seen an interview with someone from the Fusiliers. They've been called in to one area and are workingto the direction of the Council, so I thinkit probably is a regional government responsibility but when it reaches emergency levels they can call in national assets. I just hope that the underlying regional/central government bureaucratic arrangements actually work smoothly together.

He said that his (expeditionary) unit have three roles. Removing people safely from flooded homes and assisting in areas advised to evacuate, mapping which properties are vacant and where people have chosen to remain, and assisting with sandbagging and other civil engineering type tasks. And they've brought maggots and bashas with them.

why do they need maggots?

A maggot

Maggot (n): a name used to degrade somebody, generally used in the military. Used by somebody of higher rank to degrade and/or humiliate somebody of lower rank.

Basha

basha
Used in the British Army. Stands for British Army Standard Hotel Accommodation.
Set your BASHA up here and get your head down.

Do the bashas float?

Maggot = slang for military issue sleeping bag

(Though I suppose they might have literal maggots if they fancy fishing for food rather than using rat-packs).

Nope Holly.

A maggot is a green sleeping bag - although I haven't heard one called that for a while, most squaddies say doss bag.

A basha (or basher) is a waterproof coat that can be used to make a temporary shelter.

Think WTF was taking the piss . The mil personnel are being accommdated and transported in, they aren't setting up in a field.

They won't be using temp shelters - although they may well use them to set up smoking shelters . Nothing like a cuppa tea and a fag out of the rain.

No, the spokesman for the Fusiliers in Brayburn said they'd brought them. He might have been having a joke, but I didn't think so as he missed the quip about not being Marines.