Cold Weather and Storms Dampen Enthusiasm!

Cold Weather and Storms Dampen Enthusiasm!

I read somewhere that since the beginning of the year, we have had the dubious joy of enduring 10 named storms - since the habit started of naming swathes of bad weather, their numbers seemed to have increased exponentially!

We all know heavy rain - falling on ground waterlogged by previous storms - will not be able to soak away, or run into already swollen rivers, and there will be areas of flooding, causing so much misery to thousands of people.

Apart from the danger of travelling during heavy weather with flooded roads becoming impassable, and railway lines washed away, power lines also come down, so electricity will not be available in homes; water damage will be extensive, and some people have not been able to obtain insurance, increasing their misery. We've seen the news reports where people being rescued by dinghies, along with their pets - the poor dogs and cats and other small animals can't know what is going on, only that there is a lot of disruption in their lives. 

I know global warming is the reason brought forward as causing all these calamities, but we have known about these problems long before the global warming lobby was in vogue. We are an island, and a small island at that - the furthest you can get from the sea is only about 70 miles - and with high tides and surges, the danger of flooding from the sea is high. You can end up feeling the government agencies responsible for trying to keep people and buildings safe during these times are behaving like King Canute, standing on the beach, and ordering the incoming tide to recede.

We've always known of the dangers. In January 1928, a storm caused record levels of water up the tidal area of the Thames from Greenwich to Woolwich in the east, and as far as Hammersmith in the west. London is built on a flood plain, protected only by embankments, and these were soon breached, with flood water pouring into Whitehall and Westminster, rushing through crowded slum areas, and flooding basement dwellngs. Fourteen people died, and thousands were left homeless. 

Another North Sea surge occurred in 1953,  which was even more catastrophic, causing floods all along the east coast of England. Three hundred and seven people died, including 59 at Canvey Island, on the Thames estuary.

At last, discussions began about ways to protect London from such devastation in the future, and in 1983, the Thames Barrier was completed. It was a huge engineering project, spanning 1,700 feet (520 meters) of the river near Woolwich, which can be raised to close off the flood waters.

When the Barrier is open, the ten 20 metre-high gates lie flat, allowing water to flow freely, and for shipping to pass. When a storm surge is forecast, hydraulic cylinders rotate the gates to close them, creating a solid wall of steel to prevent water flowing upstream; each gate can hold back 9,000 tonnes of water. 

So far, it has protected 1.4 million Londoners, and about £320 billion worth of properties, from more than 100 tidal floods. However, the Barrier is expected to protect London only until 2070; it is now felt that to ensure the capital remains safe, the existing Barrier should be either upgraded, or replaced by a new one. The current feeling is that this decision can wait until 2040, but many people feel this will be too late to set the plans in motion; with the expectation of sea levels rising more quickly, the increased capability may need to be operational by 2050; will ten years give a long enough lead time?

Apart from the problems specific to London, we also need reassurance that other major rivers will be dredged regularly, to keep them free-flowing, giving them a chance to contain extra rainwater without breaking their banks. 

Another disquieting thought it that with the drive to build even greater number of houses to help the ever-increasing population find a home of their own, we are still seeing a lot of properties being built on flood plains. This is simply asking for trouble, and waiting for disaster to strike; perhaps in future the answer lies in building modern properties on stilts!  

In the meantime, with all this disquieting weather - and the cold wintery spells as well! - we just snuggle in, keep warm and wait patiently for spring to be sprung. We have already had the shortest day/longest night and now - if almost imperceptibly - the nights are shortening and the days are lengthening. It won't be long before we put the clocks forward an hour, and British Summer Time will begin, and we can look forward to some summer sunshine, and long summer evenings. 

And  no-one - especially not keen gardeners - should forget, that should we have a period of three days with no rain at all, a hosepipe ban with be introduced!

We are still hoping for a lovely English spring and summer - unless Mother Nature has more storms brewing, in which case I am sure the Met Office will be primed to announce gleefully the next one: weather events get named alphabetically, so let's hope we don't get as far as Storm Zebedee!