View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Sunday 22 November 2009

Wet feet - day 4

Cumbria is once more afflicted with heavy rain and gales. An average November day, if it wasn't for the catastrophic floods of Thursday and Friday. Eleven bridges have collapsed across the county, one collapse was caught on amateur video. One more, at Workington, is unstable and liable to come down at any moment. Even if it stays upright, it is so severely undermined that it will require to be replaced at any rate. The Calva Bridge has been in position for a century and a half. The bridge situation is making life extremely difficult. To travel from the north to the south of Workington, e.g., requires a detour of 90 miles, through Penrith and Carlisle.

Residents and business owners have started to make their return to homes and premises in Cockermouth and Workington, only to find total devastation. The owner of a chemist shop took one look and ran away, according to the BBC reporter. The cost of this disaster to home owners alone is at least £50-100 million. The cost of repairing or replacing infrastructure can be added to that.

2 comments:

  1. Oh this sounds bad. Those poor people. Well, all over the world when nature deals us a mighty blow we can feel devastation we may never have experienced in a lifetown. Sounds like that is what happened in the UK with record rainfall. Hope you can weather this storm okay. I feel your concern for all of the people and towns you have been writing about. You, the ultimate 'weatherman.'

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  2. Sounds scary. Do storms like this happen every year? Your header photo is most beautiful. Someplace I'd like very much to see someday. Just a beautiful place. Please take care.
    Barb *queenb

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