To all Brits ,,,, ARE YOU SAFE ???

In message , Mirjam Bruck-Cohen writes

We are safe here since we live on top of a hill, 640 feet above sea level. However we cannot get into our nearest town or city for shopping.

There is flooding in the valley below us about 1 mile away. I feel sad for the people whose homes are under water and have lost a lot of their household goods. Shirley

Mirjam Bruck-Cohen spun a FINE 'yarn':

>

Thank you Mirjam, yes we are safe. Scotland has escaped the storms so far and it is the English Midlands, stretching from the west coast across Wales and the central parts of England to the east coast that have suffered the most.

Three people have died as far as is known; a man whose car was swept away, a teenage boy who fell into a swollen river and a pensioner who was trying to get away from the floods.

In the eastern part of England approximately 1000 people are still being cared for in schools and community centres until electricity can be restored, the floods subside and it becomes safe for them to return home.

Near Sheffield engineers have been working all day pumping out excess water from the Ulley dam as cracks appeared in it's walls yesterday. They seem to have it under control at the moment but more storms are forecast for tomorrow in that area. Here are some links with more information for you.

I am glad to hear you are all safe. My sister just spent a week in Ireland and a week in Scotland. She just missed all the rain.

Hugs & God bless, Dennis & Gail

Well thanks, but how about those in other parts of the world where there is heat and drought? I reckon they're much more dangerous, there's little opportunity for escape.

Driving home from Wales yesterday we saw a lot of flooded pastureland and in one field swimming sheep. It was just outside a town well-named Welshpool. Rivers were swollen with brown water but it will subside and the few deaths we've had won't compare with those from heat exhaustion and thirst. Spoilage of material goods isn't such a terrible thing either - in my opinion.

Our flooding has nothing on the New Orleans one :-(

Mary

I drove down town Chicago to see Gail today. They had quite a rain yesterday and many of the streets that go under other streets were flooded and some people got stuck in water.

I guess it is hard for some people to figure out that cars don't run well in three feet of water.

Gail is in good spirits but will need a lot of assistance when she get home. She is still in the "Rehab Institute of Chicago,

. It has a very neat web sight.

I hope all my friends across the pond stay safe and dry, you are in my prayers.

Hugs & God bless, Dennis & Gail

Mary Fisher wrote:>

Sounds like she is in the right place for her at present, although it is also very hard on you, having to drive all that way to see her.

Will you be able to arrange for the support she needs when you get her home again? Will your insurance cover it?? (One thing I have found out over the years is that cleaning help - such a simple thing - is invaluable. In fact, I called our local agency the other day to arrange some for me and dh.)

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans

Olwyn Mary, I have good insurance but never thought of long term care insurance. I have to pay out of pocket for home care. I am make just enough to miss help and Medicare does not pay for long term home care.

Yes, she is in the right spot now. Thanks for the king thoughts. Hugs & God bless, Dennis & Gail

Wow... stay away from the news and computer news for a couple of days and look what I missed. I am so sorry to hear of the horrible flooding going on, and glad that our rcty British friends are safe.

Hmmm... here I was having a little gripe about our sudden downpour we had yesterday... only griped because the flat roof over the foyer and the back part of the house (the kitchen and laundryroom) leaked and we were going around setting out pots and buckets. Nothing anywhere near as drastic as what I am reading here that has been happening in other areas of the world... but what a cloud-burst.

The rains came fast and furious (it was badly needed, mind you... it had been three weeks or so since we had any and the grass was brittle), and then the thunder and lightning started up. I just nicely stepped out into the foyer to watch the water rushing down the street and seeing parents running across the street in the heavy rains to pick their children up from their the last day of school... Casper (our youngest, but largest fur baby) joined "Mama" to look out the window as he always does. Suddenly a HUGE flash of lightning streaked and a very loud BANG of thunder boomed (the lightning seemed like it had hit the road right in front of the house, it was so bright and seemed that close. Poor Casper about face and bolted back into the house with his tail tucked up between his legs. He is normally fairly calm as long as he sits or stands beside me, but that really started the poor baby so much he just took off running as fast as his feet could carry him. Needless to say the TV and computer were quickly turned off to wait out the storm which lasted about 45 minutes or so. But, like I said... the grass and gardens did need the rain, so can't complain too much... and it took the heatwave away for a while too. In fact it was a bit chilly today, not like summer at all.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

*hugs* Gemini

Last Friday night, a small town 30 minutes straight south of where I live was torn apart by an F4 tornado. Thankfully, no one was killed. A local mill was damaged and 19 people are out of work for now. Article and picture links below:

was just a little too close for comfort for me. I live in a mobilehome and would have to run if I knew a tornado was coming. On Saturdaynight there was a terrible storm in cottage country and 1500 cottages andcabins were damaged.http://tinyurl.com/2gzdstSince we get severe weather here every summer I'm not going to hop on theclimate change bandwagon yet. Shelagh

And there are things happening in Britain which we don't know about, a son who's a volunteer in one of the emergency services told me yesterday that an area in our city, about three miles away, was flooded and houses were being evacuated. But it wasn't as dramatic as the potential damburst so it's ignored by the media. York will have been flooded, it alsays is when there's even modest rain, but that hasn't been reported either, it's too well known to be sensational!

Well, I'm old enough to have seen changes and don't want to contribute to any more so I'm being very careful with our carbon footprint - but that's another story.

Mary

Yikes! I actually did hear about the horrible weather out your way. I didn't realize how close it was to you though. I'm glad it missed you! Stay safe!

Something else I didn't know, and only just heard about yesterday at the barbecue/Canada Day celebration we went to... apparently a tornado touched down a few miles south of where we live, and a funnel cloud had been seen out over the lake to the west of us by a few miles. All that happened during that wild storm we had last week. I really am going to have to at least start checking out our local news more often to keep up on what's going on. But then... ignorance is bliss, so they say! ;o)

*hugs* Gem

Yes - you're not going to be able to stop it just because you know about it :-)

Mary

No, you can't stop it, but you can help yourself be safer!

Shelagh

Thankfully our town has always been by-passed by tornadoes. Yes, we do get the extremely heavy winds that have uprooted trees or snapped them in half... but any tornadoes that pass by here have a trail from the south-west, across the highway a few miles south of our town and on to the east of us before dying out. When I was very little there had been one that tore a house away about 5 miles to the east of us, leaving only the bathtub (are you ready?) with a lady in it taking a bath. When Matthew was very little there was one that did some major devastation to a tiny community about 12 miles to the south-west of us.

Other than that we have had trees uprooted in the cemetery at the north east edge of town (although the *experts* sau ot wasn't, I'm almost positive that a tornado had to have touched down there), trees snapped in half on some streets around town and hydro/telephone poles snapped in half on occasion too; all to go along with some pretty wild storms consisting of thunder, lightning, torrential downpours that flood down the streets in waves like on a river, and very VERY strong winds. Most times I like to sit on the sofa (used to like to sit in the foyer before it started leaking like a basket) with the curtains open and watch the show the storm puts on. Mind you, while watching, I keep a close eye on the sky and clouds... especially any that come in from the south-west. If need be, we can head to the rec-room and huddle in the south-east corner like I have always heard is the safest area to be if a tornado hits. Of course, having never been through one, I have no idea if that is true or not... but it sounds logical to me... if that's the direction it is coming from, then it *should* blow things away from you.

Stay safe everyone!

*hugs* Gemini

Almost every time I'm in the bath I have the image of the house wall falling down and leaving me exposed to the world. Well, our street.

Serves 'em right - they shouldn't be looking :-)

Mary

LOL I forgot to mention that the lady was in an upstairs bathtub and had to be helped out of it by firemen on their truck ladder. I would just die of embarrassment.... LEAVE ME ALONE AND MY HUSBAND CAN GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! hehehe

It's good to laugh. ;o)

*hugs* Gemini

Oh that could be nice - as you get older fewer men want to take you in their arms ;-)

And embarrassment and modesty also go with age, what used to be my naughty bits have been peered at by so many medics that I don't give a damn.

My only concern is that I'm not good at heights :-)

I'll drink to that!

Mary