Rain, Sun, Rain

This was our village on Boxing Day.

The Fire Brigade, Army, Police and Bay Search & Rescue and local volunteers were amazing.

It seemed like the whole village turned out to try to stem the flow; we bailed and pumped and swept but in the end the water won.

 It's absolutely heartbreaking.

Peoples homes, businesses, shops, childrens nurserys, pubs, community centres and the seniors residential home all under water.

The waters have receded; the river that runs through the village now flows where it should and the  village is busy clearing up and dealing with the aftermath.  We have been blessed with a wealth of help and volunteers; people have bought food, mops, disinfectant and most preciously their time and labour.

Local electricians have been working tirelessly to help people get power back and check all is safe.

The parish council have done a sterling job in setting up a community coordination point at the sports club to organise volunteers to where they are most needed and the parish facebook page has been invaluable in keeping us all informed.

I am so proud to live in this community.

 And as the last few days have been mainly rain free the Environment Agency and services have been working to fill a breach in the embankment of one of the three rivers that border the village and pump water back into the river.

 

Tonight another large storm is due to hit and so preparations are again underway in case the worst happens.

And me - well after two days of being up to my ankles in cold water my arthritis kicked in with a vengeance and I woke up on the third day barely able to walk; so while Jean-Luc has been out and about helping people; I've spent the last two days doing laundry for our friends, feeding our neighbours cat (they're away in Poland) and moving things off shelves, out of cupboards and off the floor in case the river behind us floods with this latest weather front and constantly checking the flood warnings.  I say this not because I feel heroic or in need of praise but because I feel so bloody useless and angry that my body is so bloody feeble.  But self pit is a luxury we don't have at the moment so as soon as my joints cooperate I'll be back in the fray.