House flooded, contents destroyed, no power for 48 hours

[Herr Tubthumper]

I can't understand why anyone would live in there.

Unfortunately some people just have to live in less desirable places. Not everyone has the ability to move away from Tory blue-rinse land.

 

[tinycowboy]

I can't understand why anyone would live in that area. I know Yalding well and it's marshy at the best of times.

When people are talking about flooding in Kent, Yalding is always top of the list. Cheap housing, floodplain, wet. I agree that you can blame the residents, but it seems strange to me that people are allowed to build there (presumably at a profit to the developers), but that other taxpayers and insurance payers have to bail them out when the inevitable happens. Presumably there is no recourse to the only people who make money out of this - the developers?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I would'nt have thought it would cover that sort of damage.

Maybe the PTSD from a Cameron visit is covered on what's left of the NHS?

 

[Blackadder]

One assumes they all have insurance.

Most probably. Unfortunately, fresh problems will arise when they renew. Premiums will either be sky high or Insurance companies won't touch them.

 

[tinycowboy]

When people are talking about flooding in Kent, Yalding is always top of the list. Cheap housing, floodplain, wet. I agree that you can blame the residents, but it seems strange to me that people are allowed to build there (presumably at a profit to the developers), but that other taxpayers and insurance payers have to bail them out when the inevitable happens. Presumably there is no recourse to the only people who make money out of this - the developers?

Having said that, a lot of the houses in the centre are quite old. In any case, cold dirty water flooding your ground floor puts the odd short-lived power cut in perspective.

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

I would'nt have thought it would cover that sort of damage.

If at risk of flooding and a house in the area has had flooding in the last 10 years or so then I would say it's probably unlikely they have been able to get any decent insurance. Houses just shouldn't be built in these places.


Regarding the third world comments from some victims of the floods, I work for a water company and have manned the phones during burst mains and people without water. Some people in this country really need to see the third world before comparing their situation to it! It is almost laughable how much we complain about things.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

One assumes they all have insurance.

If their property was flooded in 2000 , the last time it occurred and they made a claim then the property would be uninsurable.

 

[Timbo]

Very easy to write this from the comfort of your warm dry house I bet?

Yep. Also very easy to write when I could be pretty sure if I was given 'a few hours notice' I'd have time to get stuff upstairs or out of the house if it was of sentimental value.

Then I'd go off somewhere and return later and be thankful me and my kids are not dying in some African desert.

Last on my list of things to do would be to shout at the prime minister because Granny's walnut veneer cabinet has got a bit damp. Or start making up stories about single handedly rescuing people like Superman.

 

[Timbo]

Too many blooming people hence building in stupid places! One day a real rain will come along and wipe all the scum off the streets

Quite. If the water no longer has places to go, places will get flooded. Rocket science.

 

[Bry Nylon]

And just when you think Xmas cannot get any worse Cameron turns up on your door step.

What a terrible, awful, time some people have had.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/27/david-cameron-confronted-residents-flooded-village

It could have been marginally worse. It could have been Ed Milliband, turning up like some sort of unfortunate social misfit and just repeating, "Flooding is wrong. This coalition government is wrong," ad infinitum, regardless of the question, like someone with a minor but inoperable brain injury. Yes - that would have been worse.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

When people are talking about flooding in Kent, Yalding is always top of the list. Cheap housing, floodplain, wet. I agree that you can blame the residents, but it seems strange to me that people are allowed to build there (presumably at a profit to the developers), but that other taxpayers and insurance payers have to bail them out when the inevitable happens. Presumably there is no recourse to the only people who make money out of this - the developers?

Don't forget the councillors who took backhanders to allow planning permission where for years it had been refused because land was known to be a flood plain. I'm not referring to Kent in this instance.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

When people are talking about flooding in Kent, Yalding is always top of the list. Cheap housing, floodplain, wet. I agree that you can blame the residents, but it seems strange to me that people are allowed to build there (presumably at a profit to the developers), but that other taxpayers and insurance payers have to bail them out when the inevitable happens. Presumably there is no recourse to the only people who make money out of this - the developers?

Is it a case of better sites are unavailable to be built on because they are protected green belt sites and we are very anti building new houses,despite there being an obvious demand if it means building in these sort of areas.

Flood plain building may be as a result of the only sites available to developers because it is located within an urban area already.

 

[drew]

Most probably. Unfortunately, fresh problems will arise when they renew. Premiums will either be sky high or Insurance companies won't touch them.

There are schemes. However, if you chose to live in a flood risk area then you are, to all intents and purposes, taking on some of that risk. One of the women complaining to the PM was upset that her £5,000 wooden was ruined and it had only been installed 8 months previously! If you can afford a floor like that you can afford higher insurance premiums.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It could have been marginally worse. It could have been Ed Milliband, turning up like some sort of unfortunate social misfit and just repeating, "Flooding is wrong. This coalition government is wrong," ad infinitum, regardless of the question, like someone with a minor but inoperable brain injury. Yes - that would have been worse.

HA HA HA HA, oh my sides are splitting.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

There are schemes. However, if you chose to live in a flood risk area then you are, to all intents and purposes, taking on some of that risk. One of the women complaining to the PM was upset that her £5,000 wooden was ruined and it had only been installed 8 months previously! If you can afford a floor like that you can afford higher insurance premiums.

My oh my there are some smug people on this site. Do you not feel sorry for someone who has spent money trying to make their home nice to see it all washed away?

 

[swindonseagull]

My wifes relations Live in Tacloban, thats where my sympathy is right now.

 

[dougdeep]

I wouldn't want one of those new houses planned for the area around the Parker Pen site at Newhaven either. Not unless they are on stilts anyway. Why don't these planners consult the locals? We could have saved Sainsburys a few quid to start with, anyone could have told them that the original building on The Drove would sink.

 

[Nibble]

I used to live in quite a scummy area and it flooded regularly, powercuts were quite regular and I don't ever re-call any politicians or energy companies vowing to solve the problem. Now I live near the River Mole and not far from me, in the leafy conservative stronghold of Leatherhead where floods have breached the summer houses and conservatories of Cameron's die hard supporters it suddenly seems a priority. God knows what kind of Home Counties Hell will be unleashed when the mince pies and smoked salmon supplies are gone and the Ocado vans can't get through. There'll be rioting on the streets of Dorking!

 

[Blackadder]

There are schemes. However, if you chose to live in a flood risk area then you are, to all intents and purposes, taking on some of that risk. One of the women complaining to the PM was upset that her £5,000 wooden was ruined and it had only been installed 8 months previously! If you can afford a floor like that you can afford higher insurance premiums.

So you think it's all justified, like some strange form of Karma?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

My wifes relations Live in Tacloban, thats where my sympathy is right now.

Anyone who doesn't have sympathy for the people of Tacloban would be utterly heartless, of course we should feel empathy for them, and do whatever we can to help.

But what's that got to do with this issue? People in the South of England, up the road from us, have had a terrible time over Christmas, and to suggest that you feel no sympathy for their plight because people in the developing world have it worse is also utterly heartless.

And HT is right. If I was swilling out my house and Cameron turned up, that would be the straw that broke the camel's back.