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Hello, this is Machie reporting from Tewkesbury. At the moment the town is still in chaos after 2 days of almost constant rain. Although it has since stopped, the disruption caused by the floods continues.
Flooding in Tewkesbury is nothing new. Infact it's one of the reasons it never became more than just a market town. Since I've lived in Tewkesbury for the last 27 years, I've only seen the fields around the rivers flood at their worst. What I saw over the last 2 days, I can only describe as surreal.
On Thursday the sun was out and I had a pleasent walk along the river. Later in the afternoon I went to Great Malvern (few of you will have been there) with my mum. We walked by the shops and then into the park by the Theatre. Kids we're playing, adults were sunbathing and most were enjoying a delicious icecream.
On Friday it rained. I waited and waited for many hours for it to stop so I could go for my walk but it just kept coming. Around lunch time we had a power cut. I was stuck in the house, I couldnt watch TV, I couldnt go on the internet, so I picked up my umbrella and braved the harsh rain and went outside.
Immediately as I turn the corner to head down the road towards the town centre, I see lots of cars. As I got closer I noticed that all the roads were filled bumper to bumper with cars, vans and lorries. It was insane. It looked just like any disaster movie like
'Here too?', I looked around and saw shops blacked out by the power cut. The doors were open but it was hauntingly dark inside. The staff standing alongside the customers looking out the windows as it continued to rain down on the the stationary traffic that filled the streets.
As I approached the river, I noticed it was a lot higher than it was yesterday. Some of the path was already blocked off by pools of rain water so I decided to head back home. The traffic had improved, some cars had moved a whole 10 metres since I last saw them 20 minutes earlier.
On Saturday I woke up to a very loud noise. I wrapped my duvet around me to cover my modesty and ran towards the kitchen window to see what was going on. I looked up and saw a helicopter flying right above us [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/helicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Some people across the road were being airlifted, we're still unsure why, but we think last night a baby was born and it along with the mother were taken to the hospital. When the helicopter came back a second time I ventured outside and felt the force of the helicopter right above me. It was incredibly strong, while outside I noticed some damage [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/damage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] caused by the immense winds it created. Poor little Pringles (our cat) was cowering under the kitchen counter crying.
After the drama had ended I went back to bed. It was coming up to 6am and I wanted to be up and out the house by 8am to pick up my Harry Potter book. When I awoke I quickly got dressed and collected all the recycling I was going to drop off on my way to Morrisons. It's only a 2 minute walk away so I thought it wouldnt be long before I was back in bed reading my book for the remainder of the day. Boy was I wrong.
A woman smoking a cigarette aproached me with a look of both worry and confusion on her face. "Are you heading to Morrisons? It's all flooded, it won't be open today. I just spent all night there with 90 other customers who were stuck." . I stood open mouthed as she continued. 'What about my Harry Potter book?' I thought to myself but dared not say to a woman who spent all night trapped in a Morrisons cafe.
Curious, I decided to head down anyway and see for myself what had happened. My first sight of the flooding was the small free car back at the back of Morrisons. Several cars were surrounded by the water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark1.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I continued around to the front of Morrisons and saw what the lady had told me. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Inside the cafe I could see a baby asleep next to it's mother [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/cafe.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. The entrance was sealed and blocked, probably to deter looters rather than hold the water back [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/entrance.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Eventually they allowed some customers in, but only for essentials and even then you would be guided round. Unfortunately for one old lady, lottery tickets weren't considered essential enough.
After returning home I was told by my mum to go into town and pick up some bread and milk. On the way there the roads were empty. Nothing like they were yesterday full of cars, vans and lorries. Although I did notice a large number of caravans parked in the car park by the swimming pool [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/caravans.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Their number had fallen by the time I took this picture but what you should know is this car park should be filled with market stalls selling vegetables and other goods.
Just before entering Tescos I pass another fire engine [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/fire.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Upon entering the store I notice huge queues for the tills, not normal weekly queues but the kind you only ever see at Christmas. I decided not to bother as the wait would be too long. Besides, it looked as though others had had the same idea on stocking up on bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
Walking through the high street almost every shop was closed, some even closed early yesterday to allow staff to get home, promising to open again the following morning.... They didnt. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed5.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed6.jpg][PIC][/LINK]
Quickly popped into Somerfields, again there were long queues and just like Tescos, milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] had all disappeared.
I ventured down to the river front to see how much the water had risen since I last saw it yesterday. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/stage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Tonight there was going to be a water festival, with fireworks and a band. As you can see the stage is completely surronded by water. I carried on along the river and discovered several boats being pulled under water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/boats.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I had to turn back because this road towards the high street was flooded aswell [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/blocked.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/ham.jpg][PIC][/LINK] No this isn't a lake, this is the Ham, a very large field between two rivers. Yesterday it didn't exist.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is a picture of the Abbey Mill that I took last April. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is what it looks like today.
Both the Ham and the Abbey Mill being flooded isn't really new, it's almost a yearly occurrence. What is new is the series of photos I'm about to show you.
There are 4 main roads to get in and out of the centre of Tewkesbury.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit1.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is one of them.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] This is another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And finally this one, which was closed not long after.
Perhaps a map can display better to you what has happened. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map.gif][PIC][/LINK] The main centre of Tewkesbury is on the left. I've highlighted where I live in blue and all the red lines show the roads that are flooded and closed by the police. There is one road marked in green that can still be used to get in and out of Tewkesbury, but it is part flooded and goes through a residential area. Here's another map showing you where all the water is [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map2.gif][PIC][/LINK]
As I mentioned at the start of this thread, I have found the whole thing incredibly surreal. You have cars going around in circles trying to find a road that isn't closed. You have travellers who have been stuck in town and cant leave. There's hundreds of people walking around in the roads, wearing wellies, talking on their mobile phones, taking photos, standing around in groups talking about everything that's going on. Add to that the two dozen helicopters flying over us (while writing this over a course of 4 hours a further 3 more helicopters have gone by), the fire engines, the police, the rescue boats, the ambulances, etc. It really has been an extraordinary weekend.
At the moment we're barely surviving. I've had to use the local paper to find out what's on TV because there werent any newspapers with telly books today. We're down to our last 20 packs of crisps and I've had to open 1 of my 4 packs of Special K cereal. =( I'm not sure how many more hours I can stay alive. I'm tempted to have another bowl of cereal, but I know I should ration what I eat. I just hope everything goes back to normal before I have to resort to cannibalism.
So far I'm guessing the total death toll to be in the millions and with each passing hour that figure could even double.
This has been a Machie report. Thanks for watching.
-------
Here are some additional photos;
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rivercottage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Cottage by the river.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/anotherhelicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Another helicopter.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/andanother.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - And another
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/watchers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Lots of people looking at the floods.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/newspapers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers dumped outside closed newsagents.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/papersgone.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers all stolen =O
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/sandbags.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Sand bags
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/walkers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - People walking in the road
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rescue.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Womans house all flooded
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/pub.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Some guys going to their pub
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/penny.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - LOL
Flooding in Tewkesbury is nothing new. Infact it's one of the reasons it never became more than just a market town. Since I've lived in Tewkesbury for the last 27 years, I've only seen the fields around the rivers flood at their worst. What I saw over the last 2 days, I can only describe as surreal.
On Thursday the sun was out and I had a pleasent walk along the river. Later in the afternoon I went to Great Malvern (few of you will have been there) with my mum. We walked by the shops and then into the park by the Theatre. Kids we're playing, adults were sunbathing and most were enjoying a delicious icecream.
On Friday it rained. I waited and waited for many hours for it to stop so I could go for my walk but it just kept coming. Around lunch time we had a power cut. I was stuck in the house, I couldnt watch TV, I couldnt go on the internet, so I picked up my umbrella and braved the harsh rain and went outside.
Immediately as I turn the corner to head down the road towards the town centre, I see lots of cars. As I got closer I noticed that all the roads were filled bumper to bumper with cars, vans and lorries. It was insane. It looked just like any disaster movie like
War of the Worlds or The Day After Tomorrow. 'Where are they going?' I thought to myself. I held my brolly tightly against the rain and made my way to the high street. 'Here too?', I looked around and saw shops blacked out by the power cut. The doors were open but it was hauntingly dark inside. The staff standing alongside the customers looking out the windows as it continued to rain down on the the stationary traffic that filled the streets.
As I approached the river, I noticed it was a lot higher than it was yesterday. Some of the path was already blocked off by pools of rain water so I decided to head back home. The traffic had improved, some cars had moved a whole 10 metres since I last saw them 20 minutes earlier.
On Saturday I woke up to a very loud noise. I wrapped my duvet around me to cover my modesty and ran towards the kitchen window to see what was going on. I looked up and saw a helicopter flying right above us [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/helicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Some people across the road were being airlifted, we're still unsure why, but we think last night a baby was born and it along with the mother were taken to the hospital. When the helicopter came back a second time I ventured outside and felt the force of the helicopter right above me. It was incredibly strong, while outside I noticed some damage [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/damage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] caused by the immense winds it created. Poor little Pringles (our cat) was cowering under the kitchen counter crying.
After the drama had ended I went back to bed. It was coming up to 6am and I wanted to be up and out the house by 8am to pick up my Harry Potter book. When I awoke I quickly got dressed and collected all the recycling I was going to drop off on my way to Morrisons. It's only a 2 minute walk away so I thought it wouldnt be long before I was back in bed reading my book for the remainder of the day. Boy was I wrong.
A woman smoking a cigarette aproached me with a look of both worry and confusion on her face. "Are you heading to Morrisons? It's all flooded, it won't be open today. I just spent all night there with 90 other customers who were stuck." . I stood open mouthed as she continued. 'What about my Harry Potter book?' I thought to myself but dared not say to a woman who spent all night trapped in a Morrisons cafe.
Curious, I decided to head down anyway and see for myself what had happened. My first sight of the flooding was the small free car back at the back of Morrisons. Several cars were surrounded by the water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark1.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I continued around to the front of Morrisons and saw what the lady had told me. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Inside the cafe I could see a baby asleep next to it's mother [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/cafe.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. The entrance was sealed and blocked, probably to deter looters rather than hold the water back [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/entrance.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Eventually they allowed some customers in, but only for essentials and even then you would be guided round. Unfortunately for one old lady, lottery tickets weren't considered essential enough.
After returning home I was told by my mum to go into town and pick up some bread and milk. On the way there the roads were empty. Nothing like they were yesterday full of cars, vans and lorries. Although I did notice a large number of caravans parked in the car park by the swimming pool [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/caravans.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Their number had fallen by the time I took this picture but what you should know is this car park should be filled with market stalls selling vegetables and other goods.
Just before entering Tescos I pass another fire engine [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/fire.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Upon entering the store I notice huge queues for the tills, not normal weekly queues but the kind you only ever see at Christmas. I decided not to bother as the wait would be too long. Besides, it looked as though others had had the same idea on stocking up on bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
Walking through the high street almost every shop was closed, some even closed early yesterday to allow staff to get home, promising to open again the following morning.... They didnt. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed5.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed6.jpg][PIC][/LINK]
Quickly popped into Somerfields, again there were long queues and just like Tescos, milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] had all disappeared.
I ventured down to the river front to see how much the water had risen since I last saw it yesterday. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/stage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Tonight there was going to be a water festival, with fireworks and a band. As you can see the stage is completely surronded by water. I carried on along the river and discovered several boats being pulled under water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/boats.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I had to turn back because this road towards the high street was flooded aswell [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/blocked.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/ham.jpg][PIC][/LINK] No this isn't a lake, this is the Ham, a very large field between two rivers. Yesterday it didn't exist.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is a picture of the Abbey Mill that I took last April. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is what it looks like today.
Both the Ham and the Abbey Mill being flooded isn't really new, it's almost a yearly occurrence. What is new is the series of photos I'm about to show you.
There are 4 main roads to get in and out of the centre of Tewkesbury.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit1.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is one of them.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] This is another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And finally this one, which was closed not long after.
Perhaps a map can display better to you what has happened. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map.gif][PIC][/LINK] The main centre of Tewkesbury is on the left. I've highlighted where I live in blue and all the red lines show the roads that are flooded and closed by the police. There is one road marked in green that can still be used to get in and out of Tewkesbury, but it is part flooded and goes through a residential area. Here's another map showing you where all the water is [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map2.gif][PIC][/LINK]
As I mentioned at the start of this thread, I have found the whole thing incredibly surreal. You have cars going around in circles trying to find a road that isn't closed. You have travellers who have been stuck in town and cant leave. There's hundreds of people walking around in the roads, wearing wellies, talking on their mobile phones, taking photos, standing around in groups talking about everything that's going on. Add to that the two dozen helicopters flying over us (while writing this over a course of 4 hours a further 3 more helicopters have gone by), the fire engines, the police, the rescue boats, the ambulances, etc. It really has been an extraordinary weekend.
At the moment we're barely surviving. I've had to use the local paper to find out what's on TV because there werent any newspapers with telly books today. We're down to our last 20 packs of crisps and I've had to open 1 of my 4 packs of Special K cereal. =( I'm not sure how many more hours I can stay alive. I'm tempted to have another bowl of cereal, but I know I should ration what I eat. I just hope everything goes back to normal before I have to resort to cannibalism.
So far I'm guessing the total death toll to be in the millions and with each passing hour that figure could even double.
This has been a Machie report. Thanks for watching.
George Bush doesn't care about Tewkesbury!-------
Here are some additional photos;
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rivercottage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Cottage by the river.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/anotherhelicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Another helicopter.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/andanother.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - And another
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/watchers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Lots of people looking at the floods.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/newspapers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers dumped outside closed newsagents.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/papersgone.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers all stolen =O
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/sandbags.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Sand bags
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/walkers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - People walking in the road
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rescue.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Womans house all flooded
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/pub.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Some guys going to their pub
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/penny.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - LOL
Page:
Hello, this is Machie reporting from Tewkesbury. At the moment the town is still in chaos after 2 days of almost constant rain. Although it has since stopped, the disruption caused by the floods continues.
Flooding in Tewkesbury is nothing new. Infact it's one of the reasons it never became more than just a market town. Since I've lived in Tewkesbury for the last 27 years, I've only seen the fields around the rivers flood at their worst. What I saw over the last 2 days, I can only describe as surreal.
On Thursday the sun was out and I had a pleasent walk along the river. Later in the afternoon I went to Great Malvern (few of you will have been there) with my mum. We walked by the shops and then into the park by the Theatre. Kids we're playing, adults were sunbathing and most were enjoying a delicious icecream.
On Friday it rained. I waited and waited for many hours for it to stop so I could go for my walk but it just kept coming. Around lunch time we had a power cut. I was stuck in the house, I couldnt watch TV, I couldnt go on the internet, so I picked up my umbrella and braved the harsh rain and went outside.
Immediately as I turn the corner to head down the road towards the town centre, I see lots of cars. As I got closer I noticed that all the roads were filled bumper to bumper with cars, vans and lorries. It was insane. It looked just like any disaster movie like
'Here too?', I looked around and saw shops blacked out by the power cut. The doors were open but it was hauntingly dark inside. The staff standing alongside the customers looking out the windows as it continued to rain down on the the stationary traffic that filled the streets.
As I approached the river, I noticed it was a lot higher than it was yesterday. Some of the path was already blocked off by pools of rain water so I decided to head back home. The traffic had improved, some cars had moved a whole 10 metres since I last saw them 20 minutes earlier.
On Saturday I woke up to a very loud noise. I wrapped my duvet around me to cover my modesty and ran towards the kitchen window to see what was going on. I looked up and saw a helicopter flying right above us [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/helicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Some people across the road were being airlifted, we're still unsure why, but we think last night a baby was born and it along with the mother were taken to the hospital. When the helicopter came back a second time I ventured outside and felt the force of the helicopter right above me. It was incredibly strong, while outside I noticed some damage [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/damage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] caused by the immense winds it created. Poor little Pringles (our cat) was cowering under the kitchen counter crying.
After the drama had ended I went back to bed. It was coming up to 6am and I wanted to be up and out the house by 8am to pick up my Harry Potter book. When I awoke I quickly got dressed and collected all the recycling I was going to drop off on my way to Morrisons. It's only a 2 minute walk away so I thought it wouldnt be long before I was back in bed reading my book for the remainder of the day. Boy was I wrong.
A woman smoking a cigarette aproached me with a look of both worry and confusion on her face. "Are you heading to Morrisons? It's all flooded, it won't be open today. I just spent all night there with 90 other customers who were stuck." . I stood open mouthed as she continued. 'What about my Harry Potter book?' I thought to myself but dared not say to a woman who spent all night trapped in a Morrisons cafe.
Curious, I decided to head down anyway and see for myself what had happened. My first sight of the flooding was the small free car back at the back of Morrisons. Several cars were surrounded by the water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark1.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I continued around to the front of Morrisons and saw what the lady had told me. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Inside the cafe I could see a baby asleep next to it's mother [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/cafe.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. The entrance was sealed and blocked, probably to deter looters rather than hold the water back [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/entrance.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Eventually they allowed some customers in, but only for essentials and even then you would be guided round. Unfortunately for one old lady, lottery tickets weren't considered essential enough.
After returning home I was told by my mum to go into town and pick up some bread and milk. On the way there the roads were empty. Nothing like they were yesterday full of cars, vans and lorries. Although I did notice a large number of caravans parked in the car park by the swimming pool [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/caravans.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Their number had fallen by the time I took this picture but what you should know is this car park should be filled with market stalls selling vegetables and other goods.
Just before entering Tescos I pass another fire engine [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/fire.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Upon entering the store I notice huge queues for the tills, not normal weekly queues but the kind you only ever see at Christmas. I decided not to bother as the wait would be too long. Besides, it looked as though others had had the same idea on stocking up on bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
Walking through the high street almost every shop was closed, some even closed early yesterday to allow staff to get home, promising to open again the following morning.... They didnt. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed5.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed6.jpg][PIC][/LINK]
Quickly popped into Somerfields, again there were long queues and just like Tescos, milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] had all disappeared.
I ventured down to the river front to see how much the water had risen since I last saw it yesterday. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/stage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Tonight there was going to be a water festival, with fireworks and a band. As you can see the stage is completely surronded by water. I carried on along the river and discovered several boats being pulled under water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/boats.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I had to turn back because this road towards the high street was flooded aswell [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/blocked.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/ham.jpg][PIC][/LINK] No this isn't a lake, this is the Ham, a very large field between two rivers. Yesterday it didn't exist.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is a picture of the Abbey Mill that I took last April. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is what it looks like today.
Both the Ham and the Abbey Mill being flooded isn't really new, it's almost a yearly occurrence. What is new is the series of photos I'm about to show you.
There are 4 main roads to get in and out of the centre of Tewkesbury.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit1.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is one of them.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] This is another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And finally this one, which was closed not long after.
Perhaps a map can display better to you what has happened. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map.gif][PIC][/LINK] The main centre of Tewkesbury is on the left. I've highlighted where I live in blue and all the red lines show the roads that are flooded and closed by the police. There is one road marked in green that can still be used to get in and out of Tewkesbury, but it is part flooded and goes through a residential area. Here's another map showing you where all the water is [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map2.gif][PIC][/LINK]
As I mentioned at the start of this thread, I have found the whole thing incredibly surreal. You have cars going around in circles trying to find a road that isn't closed. You have travellers who have been stuck in town and cant leave. There's hundreds of people walking around in the roads, wearing wellies, talking on their mobile phones, taking photos, standing around in groups talking about everything that's going on. Add to that the two dozen helicopters flying over us (while writing this over a course of 4 hours a further 3 more helicopters have gone by), the fire engines, the police, the rescue boats, the ambulances, etc. It really has been an extraordinary weekend.
At the moment we're barely surviving. I've had to use the local paper to find out what's on TV because there werent any newspapers with telly books today. We're down to our last 20 packs of crisps and I've had to open 1 of my 4 packs of Special K cereal. =( I'm not sure how many more hours I can stay alive. I'm tempted to have another bowl of cereal, but I know I should ration what I eat. I just hope everything goes back to normal before I have to resort to cannibalism.
So far I'm guessing the total death toll to be in the millions and with each passing hour that figure could even double.
This has been a Machie report. Thanks for watching.
-------
Here are some additional photos;
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rivercottage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Cottage by the river.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/anotherhelicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Another helicopter.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/andanother.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - And another
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/watchers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Lots of people looking at the floods.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/newspapers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers dumped outside closed newsagents.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/papersgone.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers all stolen =O
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/sandbags.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Sand bags
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/walkers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - People walking in the road
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rescue.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Womans house all flooded
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/pub.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Some guys going to their pub
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/penny.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - LOL
Flooding in Tewkesbury is nothing new. Infact it's one of the reasons it never became more than just a market town. Since I've lived in Tewkesbury for the last 27 years, I've only seen the fields around the rivers flood at their worst. What I saw over the last 2 days, I can only describe as surreal.
On Thursday the sun was out and I had a pleasent walk along the river. Later in the afternoon I went to Great Malvern (few of you will have been there) with my mum. We walked by the shops and then into the park by the Theatre. Kids we're playing, adults were sunbathing and most were enjoying a delicious icecream.
On Friday it rained. I waited and waited for many hours for it to stop so I could go for my walk but it just kept coming. Around lunch time we had a power cut. I was stuck in the house, I couldnt watch TV, I couldnt go on the internet, so I picked up my umbrella and braved the harsh rain and went outside.
Immediately as I turn the corner to head down the road towards the town centre, I see lots of cars. As I got closer I noticed that all the roads were filled bumper to bumper with cars, vans and lorries. It was insane. It looked just like any disaster movie like
War of the Worlds or The Day After Tomorrow. 'Where are they going?' I thought to myself. I held my brolly tightly against the rain and made my way to the high street. 'Here too?', I looked around and saw shops blacked out by the power cut. The doors were open but it was hauntingly dark inside. The staff standing alongside the customers looking out the windows as it continued to rain down on the the stationary traffic that filled the streets.
As I approached the river, I noticed it was a lot higher than it was yesterday. Some of the path was already blocked off by pools of rain water so I decided to head back home. The traffic had improved, some cars had moved a whole 10 metres since I last saw them 20 minutes earlier.
On Saturday I woke up to a very loud noise. I wrapped my duvet around me to cover my modesty and ran towards the kitchen window to see what was going on. I looked up and saw a helicopter flying right above us [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/helicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Some people across the road were being airlifted, we're still unsure why, but we think last night a baby was born and it along with the mother were taken to the hospital. When the helicopter came back a second time I ventured outside and felt the force of the helicopter right above me. It was incredibly strong, while outside I noticed some damage [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/damage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] caused by the immense winds it created. Poor little Pringles (our cat) was cowering under the kitchen counter crying.
After the drama had ended I went back to bed. It was coming up to 6am and I wanted to be up and out the house by 8am to pick up my Harry Potter book. When I awoke I quickly got dressed and collected all the recycling I was going to drop off on my way to Morrisons. It's only a 2 minute walk away so I thought it wouldnt be long before I was back in bed reading my book for the remainder of the day. Boy was I wrong.
A woman smoking a cigarette aproached me with a look of both worry and confusion on her face. "Are you heading to Morrisons? It's all flooded, it won't be open today. I just spent all night there with 90 other customers who were stuck." . I stood open mouthed as she continued. 'What about my Harry Potter book?' I thought to myself but dared not say to a woman who spent all night trapped in a Morrisons cafe.
Curious, I decided to head down anyway and see for myself what had happened. My first sight of the flooding was the small free car back at the back of Morrisons. Several cars were surrounded by the water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark1.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I continued around to the front of Morrisons and saw what the lady had told me. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/carpark4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Inside the cafe I could see a baby asleep next to it's mother [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/cafe.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. The entrance was sealed and blocked, probably to deter looters rather than hold the water back [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/entrance.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Eventually they allowed some customers in, but only for essentials and even then you would be guided round. Unfortunately for one old lady, lottery tickets weren't considered essential enough.
After returning home I was told by my mum to go into town and pick up some bread and milk. On the way there the roads were empty. Nothing like they were yesterday full of cars, vans and lorries. Although I did notice a large number of caravans parked in the car park by the swimming pool [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/caravans.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Their number had fallen by the time I took this picture but what you should know is this car park should be filled with market stalls selling vegetables and other goods.
Just before entering Tescos I pass another fire engine [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/fire.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. Upon entering the store I notice huge queues for the tills, not normal weekly queues but the kind you only ever see at Christmas. I decided not to bother as the wait would be too long. Besides, it looked as though others had had the same idea on stocking up on bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
Walking through the high street almost every shop was closed, some even closed early yesterday to allow staff to get home, promising to open again the following morning.... They didnt. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed5.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/closed6.jpg][PIC][/LINK]
Quickly popped into Somerfields, again there were long queues and just like Tescos, milk [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/milk2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] and bread [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/bread3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] had all disappeared.
I ventured down to the river front to see how much the water had risen since I last saw it yesterday. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/stage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Tonight there was going to be a water festival, with fireworks and a band. As you can see the stage is completely surronded by water. I carried on along the river and discovered several boats being pulled under water [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/boats.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. I had to turn back because this road towards the high street was flooded aswell [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/blocked.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/ham.jpg][PIC][/LINK] No this isn't a lake, this is the Ham, a very large field between two rivers. Yesterday it didn't exist.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is a picture of the Abbey Mill that I took last April. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/abbeymill2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is what it looks like today.
Both the Ham and the Abbey Mill being flooded isn't really new, it's almost a yearly occurrence. What is new is the series of photos I'm about to show you.
There are 4 main roads to get in and out of the centre of Tewkesbury.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit1.jpg][PIC][/LINK] Here is one of them.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit2.jpg][PIC][/LINK] This is another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit3.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And another.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/exit4.jpg][PIC][/LINK] And finally this one, which was closed not long after.
Perhaps a map can display better to you what has happened. [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map.gif][PIC][/LINK] The main centre of Tewkesbury is on the left. I've highlighted where I live in blue and all the red lines show the roads that are flooded and closed by the police. There is one road marked in green that can still be used to get in and out of Tewkesbury, but it is part flooded and goes through a residential area. Here's another map showing you where all the water is [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/map2.gif][PIC][/LINK]
As I mentioned at the start of this thread, I have found the whole thing incredibly surreal. You have cars going around in circles trying to find a road that isn't closed. You have travellers who have been stuck in town and cant leave. There's hundreds of people walking around in the roads, wearing wellies, talking on their mobile phones, taking photos, standing around in groups talking about everything that's going on. Add to that the two dozen helicopters flying over us (while writing this over a course of 4 hours a further 3 more helicopters have gone by), the fire engines, the police, the rescue boats, the ambulances, etc. It really has been an extraordinary weekend.
At the moment we're barely surviving. I've had to use the local paper to find out what's on TV because there werent any newspapers with telly books today. We're down to our last 20 packs of crisps and I've had to open 1 of my 4 packs of Special K cereal. =( I'm not sure how many more hours I can stay alive. I'm tempted to have another bowl of cereal, but I know I should ration what I eat. I just hope everything goes back to normal before I have to resort to cannibalism.
So far I'm guessing the total death toll to be in the millions and with each passing hour that figure could even double.
This has been a Machie report. Thanks for watching.
George Bush doesn't care about Tewkesbury!-------
Here are some additional photos;
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rivercottage.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Cottage by the river.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/anotherhelicopter.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Another helicopter.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/andanother.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - And another
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/watchers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Lots of people looking at the floods.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/newspapers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers dumped outside closed newsagents.
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/papersgone.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Newspapers all stolen =O
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/sandbags.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Sand bags
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/walkers.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - People walking in the road
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/rescue.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Womans house all flooded
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/pub.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Some guys going to their pub
[LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/penny.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - LOL
Oh and I never did get my Harry Potter book in the end. =(
The rain was ridiculous. Parts of my village were flooded, which is something I've NEVER seen, and I've lived here my entire life (nearly 19 years).
I've seen all these pictures of peoples houses flooded. Is it wrong to feel smug about living on a hill? :)
Chr1s wrote:
> The rain was ridiculous. Parts of my village were flooded, which
> is something I've NEVER seen, and I've lived here my entire life
> (nearly 19 years).
Blimey, I hope it doesn't get any worse. Apparently we havent had it this bad since the 40ies. What's worse is the Morrisons and many houses have since been built in fields that use to flood.
Garin wrote:
> I've seen all these pictures of peoples houses flooded. Is it
> wrong to feel smug about living on a hill? :)
Yes =P
> The rain was ridiculous. Parts of my village were flooded, which
> is something I've NEVER seen, and I've lived here my entire life
> (nearly 19 years).
Blimey, I hope it doesn't get any worse. Apparently we havent had it this bad since the 40ies. What's worse is the Morrisons and many houses have since been built in fields that use to flood.
Garin wrote:
> I've seen all these pictures of peoples houses flooded. Is it
> wrong to feel smug about living on a hill? :)
Yes =P
UPDATE
Just woke up and saw groups of people talking in the middle of the road. Not a good sign. I go outside and see that over night the part of my road which was a little flooded (due to blocked drains), has gotten much worse [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/floodinroad.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. If this continues, we might have to move all our stuff upstairs. =)
Just now on Sky News they were talking about Tewkesbury. We've been asked to conserve our water because it'll run out by tea time. When I flushed the toilet earlier the shower drains were making lots of weird noises. Soon all our water will become polluted.
I'll spend the day taking more photos and I'll continue my search for a Harry Potter book. Keeping watching this space!
Just woke up and saw groups of people talking in the middle of the road. Not a good sign. I go outside and see that over night the part of my road which was a little flooded (due to blocked drains), has gotten much worse [LINK=http://www.markstravelguide.com/freeola/floodinroad.jpg][PIC][/LINK]. If this continues, we might have to move all our stuff upstairs. =)
Just now on Sky News they were talking about Tewkesbury. We've been asked to conserve our water because it'll run out by tea time. When I flushed the toilet earlier the shower drains were making lots of weird noises. Soon all our water will become polluted.
I'll spend the day taking more photos and I'll continue my search for a Harry Potter book. Keeping watching this space!
oh tell me about it only just got home! was staying at friends house on friday in tewkesbury... not slept for 2days, been helping my mates family, mainly his grand parents who we had to rescue at like 4 in morning was up to my neck in it... what a weekend...glad i got alift this morning when it had lifted a bit... worse now though, and yet more rain to come!! never seen anything like it in my life. you just don't believe it will happen to you...
UPDATE
A bit worrying, just over an hour since I took the photo of the flood in my road. It has since risen further and is just 2 metres away from our house. [LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/roadincrease.jpg][PIC][/LINK] My mum is already talking about moving things upstairs but hopefully these sand bags should stop it [LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/door.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
I decided to go to another area of town. Hundreds of people are using the "BMX track" to walk in and out of Tewkesbury. Usually the path (Which use to be the old railway lines) isn't so busy apart from a few dog walkers and students on their way to school. Now there are people walking great distances just to get some food and water.
Today Somerfield and Tescos are closed. Most likely because they sold out of essentials yesterday. Morrisons is open, but you are still guided round and can only buy essentials (Sweets are fine, wine and beer are not). Marks And Spencers which was closed yesterday is open today and seems to be quite busy.
My last bit of news is there is now no way to drive in and out of Town. They closed the last road while I was taking some photos. Now it really does feel like we're trapped. =/
-------
Here are some more photos;
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/greenhouse.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Greenhouse surrounded by water
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/peopleboat.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Whole neighbourhoods were trapped and could only get out by boat.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/carauction.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Tewkesbury Car Auction where my brother use to work.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/houseflood.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - More and more houses were flooded.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/sand.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Piles of sand were being left for residents to use.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/gonehigher.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Cottages by river I took photos of below and now even more under water.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/whitebear.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - The pub too.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/welcome.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Welcome to Tewkesbury!
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/highstreet.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - The flood has now spread to our high street. Again, never ever seen this happen before!
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/kingjohns.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - This is the forth exit out of town. As you can see it's all flooded too.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/lastroad.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - This was the last road you could get in and out. You still could till the police blocked it off.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/3helicopters.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - My favourite picture. The festival stage is destroyed, while 3 helicopters fly above. Behind me there were another 2. And right now as I finish this, there are several more flying over the house. Apparently we've been borrowing many from nearby counties.
Oh there is one bit of good news. I finally got my Harry Potter book =) However I might not even have a chance to read it as I could be bailing out water for the rest of the night. =/
A bit worrying, just over an hour since I took the photo of the flood in my road. It has since risen further and is just 2 metres away from our house. [LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/roadincrease.jpg][PIC][/LINK] My mum is already talking about moving things upstairs but hopefully these sand bags should stop it [LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/door.jpg][PIC][/LINK].
I decided to go to another area of town. Hundreds of people are using the "BMX track" to walk in and out of Tewkesbury. Usually the path (Which use to be the old railway lines) isn't so busy apart from a few dog walkers and students on their way to school. Now there are people walking great distances just to get some food and water.
Today Somerfield and Tescos are closed. Most likely because they sold out of essentials yesterday. Morrisons is open, but you are still guided round and can only buy essentials (Sweets are fine, wine and beer are not). Marks And Spencers which was closed yesterday is open today and seems to be quite busy.
My last bit of news is there is now no way to drive in and out of Town. They closed the last road while I was taking some photos. Now it really does feel like we're trapped. =/
-------
Here are some more photos;
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/greenhouse.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Greenhouse surrounded by water
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/peopleboat.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Whole neighbourhoods were trapped and could only get out by boat.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/carauction.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Tewkesbury Car Auction where my brother use to work.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/houseflood.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - More and more houses were flooded.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/sand.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Piles of sand were being left for residents to use.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/gonehigher.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Cottages by river I took photos of below and now even more under water.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/whitebear.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - The pub too.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/welcome.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Welcome to Tewkesbury!
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/highstreet.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - The flood has now spread to our high street. Again, never ever seen this happen before!
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/kingjohns.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - This is the forth exit out of town. As you can see it's all flooded too.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/lastroad.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - This was the last road you could get in and out. You still could till the police blocked it off.
[LINK=http://markstravelguide.com/freeola/3helicopters.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - My favourite picture. The festival stage is destroyed, while 3 helicopters fly above. Behind me there were another 2. And right now as I finish this, there are several more flying over the house. Apparently we've been borrowing many from nearby counties.
Oh there is one bit of good news. I finally got my Harry Potter book =) However I might not even have a chance to read it as I could be bailing out water for the rest of the night. =/
schummi wrote:
> oh tell me about it only just got home! was staying at friends
> house on friday in tewkesbury... not slept for 2days, been
> helping my mates family, mainly his grand parents who we had to
> rescue at like 4 in morning was up to my neck in it... what a
> weekend...glad i got alift this morning when it had lifted a
> bit... worse now though, and yet more rain to come!! never seen
> anything like it in my life. you just don't believe it will
> happen to you...
I was wondering how you were schummi. You're right. You see all these other towns flooded with people trapped. But I would never have thought it would happen to my own town. It's gotten worse today than it was yesterday despite not raining as much. It's incredible how fast something like this could happen.
We're just worried now about the water getting polluted later. God knows when this will all end. It's caused so much chaos it's unbelieveable.
> oh tell me about it only just got home! was staying at friends
> house on friday in tewkesbury... not slept for 2days, been
> helping my mates family, mainly his grand parents who we had to
> rescue at like 4 in morning was up to my neck in it... what a
> weekend...glad i got alift this morning when it had lifted a
> bit... worse now though, and yet more rain to come!! never seen
> anything like it in my life. you just don't believe it will
> happen to you...
I was wondering how you were schummi. You're right. You see all these other towns flooded with people trapped. But I would never have thought it would happen to my own town. It's gotten worse today than it was yesterday despite not raining as much. It's incredible how fast something like this could happen.
We're just worried now about the water getting polluted later. God knows when this will all end. It's caused so much chaos it's unbelieveable.
[LINK=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44014000/jpg/_44014086_glo_sun_aerial.jpg][PIC][/LINK] - Here's an aerial photo showing one side of Tewkesbury. My house is more to the left, which is also surrounded by water. The large body of water at the bottom is the "Ham" that I mentioned in my first post.
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