Members living on the east coast

[Schoolmarm]

Are you all ok? Not sure how close you live to the river annd sea but I have been worrying about Biff.

 

[skier-hughes]

I think Biff is far enough away for this episode in our lives, but I concur with your sentiments and hope all is ok with those down that way.

 

[Moo]

Living on top of a hill in Norwich (yes - we do have hills in Norfolk), I'm relying on the local news for information and so far it seems that the surge isn't going to be as cataclysmic as was first thought.
It's only the people who live right on the coast who seem to be at real risk.

Fingers and toes crossed!

 

[Nemesis]

Latest:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7086280.stm

 

[biffvernon]

You're so kind, Schoolmarm.

Actually we do live rather close to sea level (below at a high tide) and in 1953 the sea water flooded our field but not the house. Our barn was used to store furniture for lower lying villagers, or so I'm told.

We went down to our beach hut this morning, in time for the 5am tide. There's usually 50 yards of sand between the water and the concrete wall but today the waves were splashing over the defences. A dramatic scene as dawn broke but no real problem, this was not the 'perfect storm'. The coincidence of wind direction and lunar phase gave us a one metre margin of safety.

Thanks to the council worker who closed the flood gates on the prom last night (yes the water reached them) and to the RNLI crew who were standing by with lifeboat in the supermarket carpark in the early hours.

Nice pics at http://www.lowestoftonline.com/community/index.php/topic,9512.280.html

 

[Nemesis]

Glad to hear things are OK Biff.

I note Walberswick, a place I know well, was under threat, presumably that has receded also.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Needless to say we are OK in The Holy land, unless the River Stiffkey gets too full that is---------- then it will back up into the village, but we need the rain for that!

Dramatic pictures on the links, thanks for putting them on.

 

[Penners]

My son-in-law works in Lowestoft. His office is about 100m from the sea. The police had closed the area, preventing him from going there this morning.

The critical high tide has now passed, however, and turned out not to be as bad as was suspected.

I took great pleasure in listening to that tabloid journalist pr@t, Jeremy Vine, trying unsuccessfully to find some East Anglian people who would criticise the Environment Agency for being alarmist. But his interviewees were all philosophical about being evacuated from their homes, and felt that the right thing had been done.

So nobody for JV to blame. Shame. It doesn't make good radio, you see.

 

[Nemesis]

tabloid journalist pr@t, Jeremy Vine,

Allegedly - possibly 'journalist' is coming it a bit strong?

 

[alice]

My mother and dad live right on the seafront in Lowestoft in Wellington Terrace. My house is a block up the street.

I spent a sleepless night here in Texas worrying about them... in the end people matter, property doesn't.

But everything came out fine, the drains didn't even back up into the house, which has happened before. None of my friends in Lowestoft have come out worse for the experience from what I've heard.

And, no, I haven't heard a single person carp at the agencies for raising the alarm. Better warned than blindsided was the attitude I've encountered.

alice

 

[Penners]

tabloid journalist pr@t, Jeremy Vine,

Allegedly - possibly 'journalist' is coming it a bit strong?

Yup - you're right.

 

[biffvernon]

Some damage seems to have been done. The beach a bit to the south of us gets vast quantities of sand dumped on it, dredged from out in the wash, to keep the sea bank in place. A year's worth of replenishment, maybe half a million tons, was washed away this morning. We just don't need a similar event next week.

 

[Penners]

We just don't need a similar event next week.

Is this forecast?

 

[biffvernon]

No.

 

[Schoolmarm]

No.

:roll:


Glad you are ok. The pictures are brilliant.

 

[Nemesis]

Oh dear - this new colour scheme makes things hard to read!

 

[Anita]

I too find the new colour scheme hard to read - the definition is terrible - not good for us with less than perfect eyesight! Trouble is that I cannot find the link to the feedback forum to let my views be known.

 

[Nemesis]

It's at the very bottom of the main page. I've e-mailed Simon and Rob already.

I'll start a new thread...

 

[biffvernon]

The colours are fine on the East Coast. A misty, marshy, fenny quality.

 

[Penners]

I asked Simon to increase the contrast between the background colour and the text. He has kindly obliged by making the text black. Makes it easier for old fogeys like me to read.