Three weeks I could have put up with, but I was there for a few months and that was TOO MUCH.

Apart from my initial stint in Moore, a village near Daresbury, I stayed in digs near Warrington's town center and the railway station. So maybe I was exposed to the worst part of Warrington and for a period more than 3 weeks! Oh yeah, I now remember there was a soap factory nearby - kept me awake some nights (at least I thought it was noise from the soap factory).

The whole center area sucked, I hated it. Totally hated it. It was depressing awful armpit of a place. Sorry, but I just plain hated the place. There was a Methodist church (a big one) near the town center, I went to that hoping to get involved in some events to escape the monotony of living almost in the center of Warrington and boy was that church a dour place to visit; it was built as an outreach center, spent a small fortune on it, but the Methodist Church admin took away that role - I guess it was a dismal failure at outreach and frankly I am not surprised.

My research at Daresbury near Warrington was linked to a masters biotech degree at what is now called the University of Central Lancashire in Preston; I did the work in what was then called the TCS Division and ran molecular dynamic simulations using atomic coordinates of a couple of proteins. Preston wasn't exaclty brilliant but was so much better than that hole called Warrington; Warrington center is so depressing it sucks big time. Can't Warrington change its name? So those that hate it are not reminded of it. Please Warrington, change your name.

Stockton Heath is fine, there's a hotel there where overflow temporary stay scientists were put by the Daresbury lab (I know because I was put there for one night). Some of the longer stay scientists (but with homes or families elsewhere, many outside the UK) rented in Stockton Heath.

Matt, Whereabouts in New Jersey are you. I've just accepted a job in Princeton. Will probaly live in Bucks County, PA

Never been to Warrington, so can't comment, but surely being on wrong side o't'ills isn't a very good starting point for it

At the risk of getting back to the thread title , I just got back from a couple of days away, and logged on to see scenes of devastation. It even made the news here in Beijing (briefly).

There are a lot of folk out there in Florida, and I just wanted to say I hope everyone is OK and getting sorted out.

What I find difficult to comprehend is that in a State renowned for having hurricanes, why are so many people living in trailer parks?

We were living in London when there was that unexpected hurricane in 1987. A lot of trees came down (indeed at the mansion block of flats where we lived, where an old couple were in bed and the top of a tree came through their bedroom window!) but as the properties were built of bricks (and therefore sturdier?) there was nowhere near the amount of building damage compared to the flimsier properties in Florida. Or am I missing something here?

Japan has building codes to deal with the threat of earthquakes....are there not any for hurricanes in US States?

A very easy answer to that.... Poverty.. I know a couple who have had to sell their house and move into a trailer to gain some capital to pay for their prescription medicine.

Apparently no rules. All the tornado states are full of trailer parks too, and they always get ripped apart.

Man it was crazy

I live in the town that Charley exited Florida from (Port Orange), and it was still recorded at 95 mph as it went around our apartment!

No electric for 3 days - U don't know how much u take it for granted guys!!!

But we r safe, although so of my workmates lost roofs, lanais etc! crazy

At least we werent one of the poor people down on the S.E coast of Florida who endured 145mph!

yikes!