After heavy rain yesterday, the valley is a lake. A break in the weather today, thank goodness, and I went out with my camera to look at the levels. It's pretty, but with three more days of heavy rain and floods forecast, and the rivers at some of the highest levels ever recorded, the feeling in the village is one of trepidation. I took this photo standing on the road that was underwater on Christmas Eve. To the left, the Medway has burst its banks, and to the right, so has the stream that comes off the Eden.
The road is passable for now:
But it won't take much more rain for the water to start spilling over again:
With a bit of sunshine, it all looks deceptively picturesque:
Yet this is what the force of the flow did to the fence at the side of the road...
The damage is far greater downriver, where the poor people of Yalding and beyond have had a miserable time of it, their homes standing in feet of muddy water. Our flood water is at least controlled, even if the roads get sacrificed for a while: it is a holding bay for a flood barrier.
Our domestic flooding is a different matter, due to a silted-up drain on the main road into which run-off water pours down from a sizeable hill. This afternoon, if the local council cannot spare an unblocking team - and unbelievably, as it's on a public highway, they say they cannot allow a private company or indeed the water company to do it in their place! - we hope for sandbags as we dry out towels and sodden newspaper, and compare flood defences with our neighbours...
11 comments:
You are in our prayers and affirmations. Perhaps 2014 is getting the bad stuff out of the way early so the rest of the year can be wonderful.
Praying for the best for you.
Warm wishes for the New Year.
Its been the worst weather ive known in ages. I live in Essex just across the Thames. Hubby is a sailor and knows the Medway well. I feel so sorry for all the lovely villages who have been going through this for so long now.
I hope it abates soon for you.
Gill x
Oh, no, Deborah! Thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way. Sorry you have to deal with this, especially during the holidays.
Sending sunshine to take away all that water! It does look pretty in the pictures- but that is definitely too much rain and the flooding is awful! I hope it will dry out soon. Sending good wishes your way. :)
~Jess
I hope the local council is ready to pay for any damages you sustain, then, after refusing to allow a private company or the water company to clean out the drains!!! I would be spitting feathers about that. Floodwater is so smelly, it's hard to get rid of its traces once it's gone down. I have everything possible crossed for you, and all the other poor people watching waters rise. Here's hoping for a good long dry spell, directly after this next weather front moves through.
I love the rain but you're definitely getting too much! Hope the area clears up soon for you.
Great pictures. Water rising like that is scary. I often dream of water, driving through it, along it, sliding into it. Shiver. What a contrast in our worlds. Minus degrees here and waiting for a big snowstorm to hit tonight. I'm a little weary of winter. But as long as the power stays on, I will be happy to sit with my laptop into the night. Hope the sun comes out your way.
Thinking dry, parched thoughts in your general direction. Heat, sun, dry winds... evaporation, clear drains, and cloudless skies.
I hope it helps just a little to know so many people are thinking of you! Not much we can do but hope all will abate soon..Best wishes for the rest of 2014 after this stressful start.
Well, let's hope that it can only get better! What a stressful start of the year! Take care, Deborah!
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