Great Britain Suffers Worst Flooding Since 1776

[steve2470]

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/02/13/great-britain-flooding

As people around the U.S. struggle with extreme weather — from drought to bitter cold and snow — residents of the United Kingdom are grappling with another severe weather threat: the worst flooding since 1776.

About 5,800 properties have flooded in England since early December, including more than 1,100 homes along the Thames Valley in the last two weeks.

The U.K.’s weather service issued a ‘red’ warning today, its most serious level, as wind gusts reached up to 100 miles per hour in areas of Western England and Wales. The region is under 16 active severe flood warnings, most of them in the southeastern part of the country.

The region is also under hundreds of lower-level flood warnings and alerts. Meteorologists say the severe weather could last at least another week. Rob Broomby of the BBC joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson with details.

[dipsydoodle]

1. Sounds a bit of an over statement despite the seriousness of the situation.

Thames at Chertsey has yet to reach 1947 level and 1894 was worse anyway. Its the flow rate at Kingston which is a record - 275 cubic metres per second for 52 days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26175213 Expressed in a different way that's 400 tonnes / second.

Some issues along the Thames are a result of stupidity by builders largely 1906's onwards. I've got friends with houses on an island in Shepperton which were built in the 1920's - on stilts to over come risk of flooding.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. Possibly not an overstatement

Considering that it's the Severn, the Wye, the Dee, the Ouse...not just the Thames.

[malaise]

2. Flooding and storms in UK are clear signs of climate change, says Lord Stern

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/13/flooding-storms-uk-climate-change-lord-stern
<snip>
The devastating floods and storms sweeping Britain are clear indications of the dangers of climate change, according to Lord Stern, the author of a 2006 report on the economics of climate change.

Writing in the Guardian, the crossbench peer said the flooding and storm damage demonstrate the need for Britain and the rest of the world to continue to implement low-carbon policies to reduce the probability of greater tragedies in the future.

He said the five wettest years and the seven warmest years in the UK have happened since 2000, which is explained by a clear body of evidence showing that a warmer atmosphere contains more water and causes more intense rainfall. When this is combined with higher sea levels in the English Channel, the risk of flooding increases.


"The shift to such a world could cause mass migrations of hundreds of millions of people away from the worst-affected areas. That would lead to conflict and war, not peace and prosperity."

Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, noted that Australia has just had its hottest year on record, Argentina one of its worst heatwaves in late December, while parts of Brazil were struck by floods and landslides following record rainfall.

He said that delay is dangerous: "Inaction could be justified only if we could have great confidence that the risks posed by climate change are small. But that is not what 200 years of climate science is telling us. The risks are huge."

[dipsydoodle]

4. Significant contribution to reducing effect of climate change

could be made by the US stopping driving cars completely given that the US has contributed the most damage over the past 160 years.

[HipChick]

6. Did he issue a Stern warning?

[malaise]

7. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah hahahaha

Apparently not

[TexasProgresive]

5. These storms have hit Ireland hard with hurricane force winds

and torrential rains. Our niece was trapped on a train from Dubln to Cork, her husband was unable to travel 3 miles to home and the grand nieces were "holed up" at friends. Trees down everywhere, roofs torn off and many without power. And more is forecast for today, first Ireland and then England.