I should take up gaming. I think I'd be good at it.
Every day when I drive to work I feel like I'm in a live video game and each day is a new level with remembering where the pot holes are, looking out for new ones, learning the difference between surface water and flooding on a hill. Remembering where the road edge has collapsed but is now under water and mostly guessing how deep the floods are and trying to make sure I'm not the lead car (I prefer to take the van) and trying not to get annoyed with drivers behind me who have the easy drive as they can just follow my lead but tend to drive too close.
Over the previous few weeks I've got to know the roads really well as we've had a lot of closures due to localised flooding which has been mainly small streams and brooks and water drainage off fields and road works.
This week we're on flood watch. Major river flooding which is going to cause big problems. I'm updating my Facebook groups and keeping an eye on the local council and agencies.
We don't have any rivers in the town where we live, but we have major rivers near by. The Avon in Tewkesbury, The Severn in Worcester, Upton and Gloucester and The Wye in Hereford and Monmouth.
Places you'll see on the news regularly, towns hit severely by flooding.
The Severn in Worcester this week. From the train.
In 2007 Stephanie was living in Tewkesbury only 20 mins away. I did the route plan today, our normal route closed due to the Severn flooding at Upton, the alternative route is through country lanes.
The flooding was that severe, it took us over 2 and a half hours to reach her to bring her home for 2 weeks
You should take up gaming, it sounds like you would be good at it with your drive to work. It is starting to be a worry how much rain we have had, especially with the flooding. Last time we had major flooding here my brothers house ended up a foot deep in water, they since put up flood defences near the river and so far so good. It's raining here again, we had a break for a few hours this morning which was nice but I am so over it!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. I cross districts and one authority definitely invests more in their roads than the other. I have a mental map of the pot holes, but more are added each trip. I don't know how cyclists cope. When we get a deluge, our lane can be flooded at both ends. My knowledge of the back roads and flooding potential is definitely improving.
ReplyDeleteI hope the flooding doesn't get any worse for you. Driving sounds like an absolute nightmare for you. We haven't had as much rain as others areas but there have been a few localised floods.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I'm glad I don't drive much! I don't like driving when it's raining anyway and with all the potholes I just don't think I could cope. We don't have any rivers nearby but we do live next to a canal, I was always confident that canals were safe until that one in Shropshire collapsed. I'm luck enough to live on the 'high' side of the canal, but I don't even want to think about if it took the trees.
ReplyDeleteThat's insane!!!! Masses of water terrify me - once they get going there isn't much you can do.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a nightmare trying to avoid both the potholes and the flooding. I hope you haven’t been too badly affected by more flooding this week. That was quite a detour to avoid the flooding to pick up Stephanie from Tewkesbury. We have rivers and canals nearby and the occasional flash flood, but nothing like what you have to deal with where you are. Hope that we get more of a break in the rain soon and the flooding eases. #WotW
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