Recent / Ongoing Floods : My Thoughts Are With Those In The Doncaster Area

[Chris From The Gulag]

Having experienced a two foot high " River " passing the front of my abode only on Friday ... and a subsequent loss of power for 26 hours , my thoughts
are with those a mere 20 - 25 miles to the north in Doncaster and the surrounding area :



( My local PO on the left ... I visit daily. )



( 100 yards to my north ... a gentle stream normally. )

Doncaster ... surrounding areas :

More heavy rain is expected in parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands already suffering from flooding.

The Environment Agency has 44 flood warnings in place across the country, including five severe warnings on the River Don in South Yorkshire.

About 400 homes have been flooded in the North, and 1,200 properties have been evacuated, said the agency.

Residents of Fishlake, near Doncaster, said it was the first time the village had flooded in 100 years.

A yellow warning for rain remains in place over parts of Yorkshire and the East Midlands on Monday.

Military helicopters have also been used to help aid defences in the Doncaster area.

[Chris From The Gulag]

No overnight respite for Doncaster :

The Environment Agency has 30 flood warnings in place as well as five severe warnings on the River Don in South Yorkshire.

About 400 homes have been flooded and 1,200 properties evacuated.

A yellow warning for rain remains in place over parts of Yorkshire and the East Midlands for Tuesday and Thursday.

Already a warning in place for further rain on Thursday.

[thara_1910]

No overnight respite for Doncaster :

The Environment Agency has 30 flood warnings in place as well as five severe warnings on the River Don in South Yorkshire.

About 400 homes have been flooded and 1,200 properties evacuated.

A yellow warning for rain remains in place over parts of Yorkshire and the East Midlands for Tuesday and Thursday.

Already a warning in place for further rain on Thursday.

Prayers from Surrey!

[Chris From The Gulag]

Some residents in a flood-stricken village could be out of their homes for up to three weeks as efforts continue to make the area safe.

Fishlake near Doncaster has been one of the worst hit with hundreds of people being forced to leave their properties.

About 100 Army personnel are being deployed to support the recovery effort in South Yorkshire.

Doncaster Council said every effort was being made to increase pumping so people could return home sooner.

About 500 homes have been flooded in Doncaster with more than 1,000 properties evacuated in areas hit by the floods.

Hundreds of people in Fishlake have fled their homes after the village was submerged and the fire service has been working to rescue people.

The council said the village was not safe and that "a return to properties is discouraged in the strongest possible terms".

Roads into Fishlake remain closed and the Environment Agency said people should not attempt to enter the area.

The council said the Environment Agency, along with emergency services, were working hard to recover the area for a safe return but "the latest estimates suggest a safe return could be up to three weeks away for some residents".

Scott Godfrey, landlord of the Hare and Hounds, has been using the pub as a refuge giving affected residents accommodation and hot food as well as delivering meals to people stranded in their homes.

He said they had been let down by Doncaster Council "big style" because it had rowed back on its promise of helping with provisions to send out to villagers.

He said: "We had 45 residents that were stranded who wanted meals. Luckily everyone pulled together and we managed to get some hot meals out."

The authority said it would now be offering humanitarian aid to those who have remained in Fishlake but this should not be attempted by residents.

Meanwhile, the next door village of Stainforth has been coming to the aid of those evacuated from their homes.

[david c]

If the victims of the floods were not suffering enough ,they had a visit from bojo ,he got heckled .

[Chris From The Gulag]

Heckled ?

Ignoring him ... as a couple of this morning's reports have alluded to ... is the worst fate for any power seeker ?

One resident told Johnson: “I’m not very happy about talking to you so, if you don’t mind, I’ll just mope on with what I’m doing.” The woman, clutching a wheelbarrow alongside the troops sent to the area to help, added: “You’ve not helped us … I don’t know what you’re here today for.”

Another told him: “You’ve took your time Boris, haven’t you?”, to which Johnson replied: “We’ve been on it round the clock.”

[Chris From The Gulag]

AN update ... the post mortem on my manor , Worksop , this time one week ago :

England flooding : Worksop sluice gate delay " Made flooding worse. "

Delays in opening a sluice gate exacerbated flooding in a town where people were rescued from chest-high water, a council leader has said.

Council officials and residents in Worksop repeatedly asked the Canal and River Trust (CRT) to alleviate the flooding by opening the sluice gate.

The trust refused to do so and the gate was eventually opened by a firefighter several hours later.

The CRT told the BBC it would have been "unsafe" for its engineers to open it.

However, the leader of Bassetlaw District Council insisted opening the sluice gate was "vitally important" and said it was "bizarre" the CRT would not do it.





( My abode to the right of the PO sorting office ... not in picture !!! )


"One of the things that has most angered local people is the way in which, sadly, the Canal and River Trust did not step up to respond when they could have done," said councillor Simon Greaves.

"We knew it was vitally important that the gate was opened in order to mitigate the volume of water we were dealing with, and that's why we made repeated demands that it was opened.

"It was almost like ringing someone up that had no idea where we were, what was happening, or what the reality of the situation was and the urgency of the situation.

"For several hours there could have been more water being taken from the town centre, helping to alleviate and mitigate the crisis."





Worksop was flooded on 7 November when the River Ryton burst its banks following heavy rain.

Twenty-five properties were evacuated, while people in 65 other properties who were made aware of the risk but decided to stay, the fire service said.

Two homeless men almost drowned when they became trapped in an industrial wheelie bin they had been sleeping in, the fire service said, while the garage door of the town's bus station was caved in by the force of the water.

Damian West, who was the duty strategic manager, said: "We had fast flowing currents of water on the streets, which basically turned into rivers."





The town was previously flooded in 2007, meaning some residents and businesses flooded for a second time had been unable to get insurance.

Kathy Frankland, site manager of the Riverside Caravan Park, said she phoned the CRT as early at 8:00 GMT and asked it to open the sluice gate - 15 hours before it was eventually opened.

"I called three times and I kept asking if it had been opened," said Ms Frankland, whose caravan and car were damaged beyond repair.

Her friend Theresa Downing, who stays at the site, said she phoned the CRT at 12:00.

"They said there was no flood alert on the River Ryton and I said 'I'm stood looking at it and I'm telling you it has burst its banks'," she said.

"They sent somebody out, there was somebody here at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and they still did not open that gate.

"We feel very let down."

The CRT said the sluice gate was in a building "deemed unsafe" for its workers to enter, and it had reported the condition of the building to the council on 16 October.

The building is owned by the council but the CRT is responsible for the sluice gate.

The CRT also said there were "some concerns about how it [opening the gate] would impact water levels elsewhere, because it's hard to determine how other areas would have been affected".

"Our staff have worked admirably at numerous locations to deal with incidents, including through the night in many cases," it added.



( Good photo of the back of my abode ... on the left ... levels well down when compared to a few hours previously. )

[Chris From The Gulag]

" It could take years to recover " : Residents in Fishlake fear the worst after unprecedented flooding.

The Independent visits South Yorkshire village where half of all homes have now been evacuated - and which is bracing itself for more heavy rain

A depressing article If ever there was one !

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 03651.html

[Penny]

I feel really sorry for them too and speaking as someone who comes from the area where we had the worst floods in living memory some years ago.

I am concerned about the comments about Boris Johnson because I don’t know what people think he could have done to prevent these floods. Floods happen and in an area named FishLake I would imagine it is not a surprise although I did hear local people saying they had seen nothing like this in 55 years. also I understand the council up there is a Labour one.

We insure ourselves against disasters like this don’t we?

[Chris From The Gulag]

We insure ourselves against disasters like this don’t we?

In theory ... yes.

In practice , many areas have a huge " Flood risk " premium ... putting insurance cover almost beyond the pockets / purses of millions.

In the Doncaster area as featured , almost like trying to find a b.t.l. landlord that will rent to a benefit claimant ... then forced to pay 3 / 6 months rent upfront.

Very good recent article on the BBC web site recently :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50391494

England flooding : Why insurance may not cover damage.