Boxing day floods, show us your pictures....:-(

[bluethrunthru]

fucking sums all this up to be honest - the people that grant planning permission for this in the local authority should be hauled out and fucking shot - some new houses "being built" right next to us at the moment on what was a swamp. I put that in quotation marks because I noted with mirth today the ones at the bottom of the hill are window sill deep and it seemed like water was pouring through/out of a couple of semi's further up.

We all put objections to the development in saying that it was well known local swamp land also that our houses drained onto it - we were accused of nimbyism over unfounded fears that the drains would back up and false worries that we would get flooded due to blocked drains. Thankfully on the latter they were right - we didn't get flooded and the drains worked perfectly - its all drained right onto their development ha ha - how do you like them apples Mr Developer **** ha ha

 

[bluethrunthru]

Just watched Call Me Dave on the TV - slippery bastard. Didn't answer a single question about the flooding - when asked what he was doing he praised the emergency services for the work they were doing then said there were 500 troops helping out. He was asked what next and he said another 1500 are on standby. Meaning another 1500 might be used to help. Not doing anything just telling 1500 troops to pack a bag and make sure the Landrovers are fuelled up just in case. When asked about exemption from business rates for businesses in Leeds, Manchester, Salford, York as he has promised for Cumbria he praised the emergency services for........ you get the picture - they are doing the square root of jack shit as cheaply as possible. In typical fashion promised the rates exemption for Cumbrian businesses without thinking it through and that he may be expected to do the same on a much larger - and expensive - scale.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

fucking sums all this up to be honest - the people that grant planning permission for this in the local authority should be hauled out and fucking shot - some new houses "being built" right next to us at the moment on what was a swamp. I put that in quotation marks because I noted with mirth today the ones at the bottom of the hill are window sill deep and it seemed like water was pouring through/out of a couple of semi's further up.

We all put objections to the development in saying that it was well known local swamp land also that our houses drained onto it - we were accused of nimbyism over unfounded fears that the drains would back up and false worries that we would get flooded due to blocked drains. Thankfully on the latter they were right - we didn't get flooded and the drains worked perfectly - its all drained right onto their development ha ha - how do you like them apples Mr Developer **** ha ha

No idea how Shrewsbury's Gay meadow ground was flogged for housing.... that flooded most seasons too!

 

[bluethrunthru]

No idea how Shrewsbury's Gay meadow ground was flogged for housing.... that flooded most seasons too!

Darlingtons Feethams ground went the same way I think. Forever under water until somebody decided that made it perfect for housing...... madness isn't it?

 

[cleavers]

I don't understand how this is happening so bad all of a sudden. It's not like we haven't had rain like this before. Could it be something to do with fracking or have they stopped dredging the rivers ?

One of the biggest issues is everyone flagging, tarmacking, and concreting over their drives and gardens, if the water could soak into the ground it would take longer to release, now it all goes straight down the street drains into the streams and rivers.

If you imagine how many front gardens have become hard parking spaces, and then work out how much rain falls on say a 12 foot long, 7 foot wide drive area, then multiply that by the number who have done it in towns and villages, in a long lasting spell of rain like the one at the weekend, its billions of gallons of water, that used to soak into the ground, now ending up in the water courses.

Its not just climate change, its land use change too.

 

[Mustard Dave]

It is mate the only thing on my mind is whether my insurance covers me for all this I have contents for 10 grand but no fecker could tell me anything today, and it is no act of God the flood defence jammed thus they could not open it £14,000000 they have just spent behind the old Salford university campus and it fails on day one. I know as I worked on there for the first six months of this year.

I have just PM'd m7mcfc with an offer of advice, but I would like to clear up the whole 'act of God' thing, as it is often misinterpreted. I work in the insurance industry, but I would rather not say what I do as we have a strict social media policy.

Myth No. 1 - "God does not exist, so how can there be such thing as an act of God?"

As a staunch atheist, I feel the same, however, it is an accepted legal term, and has been used in many court rulings, one being the case of Transco vs. Stockport MBC. In that ruling, Lord Hobhouse defined an act of God as an event:

(i) which involves no human agency
(ii) which is not realistically possible to guard against
(iii) which is due directly and exclusively to natural causes and
(iv) which could not have been prevented by any amount of foresight, plans, and care.

Myth No. 2 - Insurance policies will not pay out for an act of God - this is nonsense. I have never seen an insurance policy with an act of God exclusion, and the Association of British Insurers say it is a myth:

http://www.covermagazine.co.uk/cove...s-disclosure-importance-dispells-act-god-myth

An act of God could still be used in an insurance related scenario though. The Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters gives this example:

"'Act of God' provides a defence in situations where the cause of loss or damage resulted from a "freak of nature" that could not be anticipated or expected. An example of this could be tiles that are blown from a roof (belonging to Bert) causing damage to a neighbour's car.

Imagine that Bert knew that there were loose tiles and did nothing about it. If a storm within normal expectations blew the tiles off the roof, this would not amount to an Act of God. By contrast, had the roof been fixed and it was sound before the storm and the storm was of unprecedented force such that it could not be imagined or expected, the defence of Act of God may well apply. As you will have noted, the defence relies on something that is beyond expectations, and judgement as to whether the event amounts to an Act of God can be difficult."

Many home insurance policies cover third party liabilities; these will be limited to your legal liability. If you are not legally liable, neither is your insurer. Your policy will tell you exactly what perils you are covered for - if you are covered for flood/storm damage, you are covered. Act of God related purely to third party liability.

 

[billfromthehill]

I have just PM'd m7mcfc with an offer of advice, but I would like to clear up the whole 'act of God' thing, as it is often misinterpreted. I work in the insurance industry, but I would rather not say what I do as we have a strict social media policy.

Myth No. 1 - "God does not exist, so how can there be such thing as an act of God?"

As a staunch atheist, I feel the same, however, it is an accepted legal term, and has been used in many court rulings, one being the case of Transco vs. Stockport MBC. In that ruling, Lord Hobhouse defined an act of God as an event:

(i) which involves no human agency
(ii) which is not realistically possible to guard against
(iii) which is due directly and exclusively to natural causes and
(iv) which could not have been prevented by any amount of foresight, plans, and care.

Myth No. 2 - Insurance policies will not pay out for an act of God - this is nonsense. I have never seen an insurance policy with an act of God exclusion, and the Association of British Insurers say it is a myth:

http://www.covermagazine.co.uk/cove...s-disclosure-importance-dispells-act-god-myth

An act of God could still be used in an insurance related scenario though. The Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters gives this example:

"'Act of God' provides a defence in situations where the cause of loss or damage resulted from a "freak of nature" that could not be anticipated or expected. An example of this could be tiles that are blown from a roof (belonging to Bert) causing damage to a neighbour's car.

Imagine that Bert knew that there were loose tiles and did nothing about it. If a storm within normal expectations blew the tiles off the roof, this would not amount to an Act of God. By contrast, had the roof been fixed and it was sound before the storm and the storm was of unprecedented force such that it could not be imagined or expected, the defence of Act of God may well apply. As you will have noted, the defence relies on something that is beyond expectations, and judgement as to whether the event amounts to an Act of God can be difficult."

Many home insurance policies cover third party liabilities; these will be limited to your legal liability. If you are not legally liable, neither is your insurer. Your policy will tell you exactly what perils you are covered for - if you are covered for flood/storm damage, you are covered. Act of God related purely to third party liability.

So who owns this rain? I'm not avin a pop m7 is a good mate of mine.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

One of the biggest issues is everyone flagging, tarmacking, and concreting over their drives and gardens, if the water could soak into the ground it would take longer to release, now it all goes straight down the street drains into the streams and rivers.

If you imagine how many front gardens have become hard parking spaces, and then work out how much rain falls on say a 12 foot long, 7 foot wide drive area, then multiply that by the number who have done it in towns and villages, in a long lasting spell of rain like the one at the weekend, its billions of gallons of water, that used to soak into the ground, now ending up in the water courses.

Its not just climate change, its land use change too.

An interesting observation, although less of an issue in the Calder Valley. Most houses where I'm from don't have and have never had gardens.

 

[Mustard Dave]

So who owns this rain? I'm not avin a pop m7 is a good mate of mine.

Nobody, as far as I know. My point is an act of God isn't a get out clause used by insurers to avoid paying out their policyholders - it is a defence against negligence to third parties. If the said act of God causes damage to a property that is the subject of an insurance policy, the insurer pays out.

Take for example that pub that has collapsed. If the owner has insured it against flood damage, the insurer will pay out. Now let's say a big chunk of falling masonry fell on a parked car and the owner told the owner of the pub his wall crushed his car and he wants him to pay, the owner of the pub could use the act of God defence and tell him to sod off. The owner of the car would have to claim on his own policy (assuming he has comprehensive cover).

 

[willipp]

The River Ribble at Preston. First one was yesterday and the park over the road about 6 foot under water.