Let's hope those affected by the recent storms and flooding get some relief soon. Truly devastating for businesses and residences in the area.

Not a fan of Daily Mail journalism, but they do come up with some stunning photographs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-Atlantic.html

I was puzzled when Cameron appointed Owen Patterson as environment minister. It is not as if Cameron is a climate change sceptic, so it was bizarre to appoint a minister who prefers the views of James Delingpole to the scientific consensus.

Now I realise Cameron probably just disliked him and was setting him up to fail. Patterson will go down in history as the minister who complained that badgers were 'moving the goalposts' who forgot to take his wellies with him when he visited the Somerset levels.

Not sure of any political points to be made, apart from the cost cutting by stopping the dredging of the rivers, a budgeting that has seriously backfired. Hard to legislate against freak weather, the political fall out will come from how the government responds to the clear up and future flood and storm prevention.

More great pics from the Daily Mail, including a ten foot python found under a tree. What!!! That with an alleged sighting of a six foot crocodile in a Bristol River.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ft-behind.html

Stay safe this weekend.

I've just heard on the radio that the Prime Minister has just arrived in the West Country.

I could weep for those poor people and I hope that something is done to help them - not just now but long-term to alleviate the flooding.

(Not that adds anything to the point of the thread, but Delingpole was a running joke way back when I first encountered him [at uni]. It has always interested & bemused me to see how he has become an [self-nominated?] "authority" on this subject).

Pictures and video clips of the current devastation caused by the freak weather are abundant on the web, but nothing quite hits home how bad it is until you see pics/clips of somewhere you are familiar with.

This is Looe in Cornwall. A place I've visited often, as recently as 2011 and a place we've looked at with a view of retirement in the area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsKfW2NS-Wc

Very sad.

Do you ever get damaging storms in Florida Bud?

I think they have had one or two over the years, much more damaging than anything we get here.

Yep. Our sleepy little village in Cornwall, Kingsand, is normally somewhere that nobody has ever heard of. The news of the past week or so has changed that.

We're going down on Friday for a week, and will see what we find.

Hope it's not too bad

Coming from Slough, have friends affected by the flooding along the Thames - Windsor, Datchet. Wraysbury - all under water in parts.

And family in Warwickshire also flooded - very widespread this year - completely different to last winter

Thoughts are with you. Hopefully your fears will be unfounded and everything will be okay. We have connections in Bridgewater in Somerset and family around the Slough & Windsor areas, fortunately, to date, they have only had to face the inconvenience of disrupted travel. It must be awful for those who have been evacuated, living with the dread of what they will have to face once the waters subside.

Quite a long read this one, but certainly should give politicians and the EA pause for thought.

http://www.monbiot.com/2014/01/13/drowning-in-money/


Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted perhaps, but better late than never?

Thank you. Luckily, our house is set up a bit so hopefully will be ok, but a lot of the village was evacuated and most houses on the sea front were flooded. Still, on the plus side it looks like the clock tower will be saved after all, and at least we weren't there on Monday when David Cameron was.

Bud the Wiser...Thats one of the bests articles I have read. A few months ago I did read about the farmers who had decided to restructer their land and rethink how to use the land. I found it very interesting and couldnt agree more with what they did as is mentioned in the article you posted.

http://www.monbiot.com/2014/01/13/drowning-in-money/

I realize that the coast cannot hold back the sea but has to somehow strengthen its defences but as for the rest of the Sounthern counties they really need to rethink everything. I would get rid of the stupid politicians who came down to have pictures taken, listen to the farmers who warned what could happen. Stop taking more and more land for building houses and stop the concrete jungle. So many people take up their gardens and replace it with concrete a fatal mistake. But smart thinking comes from the Town planners and regulations to say NO to building on wet land and concrete gardens. Such a lot of mistakes made by so many people.

I am so sorry for those people who have to live through this, I was taking a shower this morning and couldnt help but think about all those people in the South who are out of their homes and in shelters.

When I saw the pictures of people in long lines to get sand bags with their Wheelie bins I really couldnt understand why there is not more orgnization to help these people. If we can send thousand of aid and help to other countries were is it for our own people. Some have had no help whatsoever. It makes me so angry.

I do hope the weather improves soon. My friend who lives in Dorset is wet but no flooding and my family up North are just wet.....

You must understand, there are no coincidences in politics...... if there was, then


dk