sorry, but I always thought NOT living below sea level, on a flood plain or next to a river, or in an area known for flooding was just common sense, and would be one of the things I would be looking at if I was contemplating buying a house.....or am I missing something???
(11 February 2014, 14:41)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]sorry, but I always thought NOT living below sea level, on a flood plain or next to a river, or in an area known for flooding was just "COMMON SENSE", and would be one of the things I would be looking at if I was contemplating buying a house.....or am I missing something???
Ummmmm Common Sense.........
Something that a lot of the 'general' population is severly lacking in
Are any of these storms affecting the low countries, Belgium, the Netherlands?
Something I'm noticing about this crazy weather and heavy rain over prolonged periods, I think I may have screwed up with buying a small car, its not avoiding the flood water that's getting my attention, only eejits drive through deep water anyway, its the mud, debris, chunks or wood, wire, detritus etc that is being washed onto many roads by the heavy rain. AND the ginormous bloody potholes being created by the run off water. I think again that after TSHTF or societal collapse road surfaces are going to be in a much worse state much quicker than I originally envisaged. It looks like many of the type of road many of us plan on using after TSHTF are likely to be pretty bad within days rather than weeks or months.
Houses are very expensive these days.
If you need a home and can only afford one, in your required area, that happens to be in a flood plain what are you supposed to do?
I'm sure 90% of the people who own houses in these areas know the risk, they would just hope that their council tax goes to good use making sure it doesn't flood after a wet period. But, the gubernment is insistent on sending it all abroad to ensure they all live happily ever after.
Who's lacking in common sense?
Charles some parts of the lowlands on the continent are in a similar mess but in the main the Dutch are laughing their socks off at us Brits. Because since the great storm of 53 the Dutch have spent billions protecting their food producing areas with dykes, drains, barriers and building houses either elevated or on floating pontoons. which in turn protect the cities from the north sea and crazy weather, but we in the UK pissed away billions protecting London whilst sacrificing the priceless grain producing areas of east Anglia and West Country in favour of protecting the utterly pointless and inedible that is London. We appear to put castles, museums, banks, burocrats and government buildings plus the rural piles of the idle wealthy ahead of saving the areas that we get our grain, beef, lamb, pork, coal, oil, wood and fruit from.
Devonian Offline
RE: Snippets about the floods
(Today 13:41)bigpaul Wrote:
sorry, but I always thought NOT living below sea level, on a flood plain or next to a river, or in an area known for flooding was just "COMMON SENSE", and would be one of the things I would be looking at if I was contemplating buying a house.....or am I missing something???
Ummmmm Common Sense.........
Something that a lot of the 'general' population is severly lacking in Wink
Social climbing, Snobbery and Stupidity overrule common sense and practicality in certain parts of the UK
i mean, would someone really buy a house in an area that COULD get flooded? how is that being a responsible person? never mind being a prepper. if i could buy a house somewhere but i found out it was liable to flood i wouldn't buy it, i would rather buy something somewhere else that didn't flood but had a longer journey time, than chance being flooded, i just don't see the point of taking a risk however small, we seem to be getting more and more inclement weather its just not worth the hassle. i guess common sense really is in short supply in the modern age.
(11 February 2014, 16:29)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]i mean, would someone really buy a house in an area that COULD get flooded? how is that being a responsible person? never mind being a prepper. if i could buy a house somewhere but i found out it was liable to flood i wouldn't buy it, i would rather buy something somewhere else that didn't flood but had a longer journey time, than chance being flooded, i just don't see the point of taking a risk however small, we seem to be getting more and more inclement weather its just not worth the hassle. i guess common sense really is in short supply in the modern age.
Most people believe the marketing blurb of the housing developers who will tell them that the infrastructure for the development has been designed to within a 1in100 year storm event.
What they don't tell you is that 1in100 year storm can occurr 3 times in a year, and what about the 1 in200 year evet or the 1in50 year event that just happens to coincide with a spring tide or with the wind blowing in the wrong direction, or when the non return valve has been maintained in the last 18 months is is stuck open (or closed).......
(11 February 2014, 16:29)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]i mean, would someone really buy a house in an area that COULD get flooded? how is that being a responsible person? never mind being a prepper. if i could buy a house somewhere but i found out it was liable to flood i wouldn't buy it, i would rather buy something somewhere else that didn't flood but had a longer journey time, than chance being flooded, i just don't see the point of taking a risk however small, we seem to be getting more and more inclement weather its just not worth the hassle. i guess common sense really is in short supply in the modern age.
So if you've picked a house in the cheapest area for miles around, and it's the only one you can afford, you wouldn't buy it if there's a risk it may flood? You may be spoilt for choice then sir, but for most people we don't have such an option.
You have to buy whatever you can afford unless you want to rent forever. We can all wax lyrical on what we would or wouldn't do, but I don't think anyone has the right to ridicule people who have had to make the difficult decision. 90% of the Fens is below sea level, I presume everyone who owns a house their is short of common sense too? And everyone in Somerset? Everyone who lives near a river....
There's always someone who will buy houses in at risk areas, either out of desperation, ignorance, or stupidity.
And when it all goes predictably wrong, they look for everyone else to bail them out ( ha ha unintended pun!). I think that anyone buying a house at risk of flooding would have quickly identified the risk after their house insurer refused to cover that risk.....assuming they felt the need for insurance that is?
Re Devonian's comments about pollutants getting into houses. I've heard that in certain flood prone countries, householders who know that flooding will take place imminently, pre-empt it by purposely flooding their lower floors with clean mains water. This is to create positive pressure and prevent effluent and pollutants flooding in. Apparently this is very effective and speeds up the clean up process.
But I would not want to live in a flood zone, and have always used local knowledge or more recently Environment Agency mapping to make sure that my plot was a dry one.