#1. "RE: English Family Members OK ?" In response to 81 Newbee (Reply # 0) Wed Jul-25-07 06:21 AM by npmcl
No problems in my part of London, thanks for asking. However I do have relatives in the West Country (an area that I believe you know) who are now without tap water, they are being supplied by military bowsers and this situation is expected to last for about a fortnight. About 350,000 people are believed to be without water. The Thames to the west of London may burst its banks later this evening and people are already being evacuated.
One result of the floods is expected to be an increase in food prices as crops have been destroyed.
The map is of towns that have "severe flood warnings" at the moment.
#6. "RE: English Family Members OK ?" In response to giseuda (Reply # 4) Wed Jul-25-07 08:10 AM by npmcl
Yes, you can see Tewkesbury on the map posted above. The floods are the worst in modern British history. Apparently the extremely heavy rain in Britain was/is caused by the Jetstream which normally directs most of this sort of weather north of Britain but this summer it has turned south instead and pushed it directly over Britain. We just hope that it's a one-off.
Got off fairly lightly here in Shropshire - most of the rain hit the Severn further downstream. We did get a Tornado here during the storms a week before this one though .
'Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity'
Interesting blog here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/evandavis/2007/07/cost_of_the_floods.html about the costs of the flooding and even more interesting comments after about possibilities of a net gain due to increased demand for workers, goods and services for the clean up. Although I agree with one commenter about the personal loss of irreplaceable items.
The weather is causing even worse problems for some other European countries.
Quote:
Death toll rises in southern Europe's heatwave Helena Smith in Athens and Agencies Wednesday July 25, 2007 The Guardian
Southern Europe sizzled in record-breaking temperatures yesterday with the heatwave being blamed for deaths in Hungary and Romania, power cuts in Macedonia and forest fires from Serbia to Greece.
Up to 500 people have died in Hungary because of the heatwave with deaths attributed to heatstroke, cardiovascular problems and other illnesses aggravated by high temperatures which reached a record high of 41.9C (107F) in the southern city of Kiskunhalas.
Countries across the Balkan peninsula also laboured under temperatures that hit a historic 43C in Belgrade and 44C in Bulgaria. In an urgent announcement, Greece's weather service predicted temperatures of 45C (113F) and the government urged people to restrict their movements and stay indoors.
With blazes raging across much of the country for a third week, Athens' public order minister said the region was "on a war footing". In Bosnia and Macedonia, where temperatures shot up to 45C - the highest for 120 years - governments declared a state of national emergency.
Romania said at least 12 people had succumbed to the temperatures, pushing the death toll to 30 since June. Authorities said 19,000 people had been admitted to hospital, mostly with respiratory problems. In Serbia, volunteers joined firefighters and the army to help extinguish an estimated 50 blazes.
In Italy four people were burnt to death after a brush fire trapped hundreds of tourists on beaches in the Puglia region. Emergency services used patrol boats and helicopters to whisk 450 holidaymakers and residents off the beaches to which they had rushed to try to escape the flames.
Two people were found dead in a car and two on a beach near the village of Peschici, where the fire swept close to houses, forcing the evacuation of a hotel and several campsites and tourist resorts.
The heatwave, which is not expected to ease until the end of the week, is the region's second this year. Record temperatures in June have already ensured this is the hottest summer in Greece for a century.
