Most Popular
1. It’s a New Macro, the Gold Market Knows It, But Dead Men Walking Do Not (yet)- Gary_Tanashian
2.Stock Market Presidential Election Cycle Seasonal Trend Analysis - Nadeem_Walayat
3. Bitcoin S&P Pattern - Nadeem_Walayat
4.Nvidia Blow Off Top - Flying High like the Phoenix too Close to the Sun - Nadeem_Walayat
4.U.S. financial market’s “Weimar phase” impact to your fiat and digital assets - Raymond_Matison
5. How to Profit from the Global Warming ClImate Change Mega Death Trend - Part1 - Nadeem_Walayat
7.Bitcoin Gravy Train Trend Forecast 2024 - - Nadeem_Walayat
8.The Bond Trade and Interest Rates - Nadeem_Walayat
9.It’s Easy to Scream Stocks Bubble! - Stephen_McBride
10.Fed’s Next Intertest Rate Move might not align with popular consensus - Richard_Mills
Last 7 days
US Housing Market Analysis - Immigration Drives House Prices Higher - 30th Sep 24
Stock Market October Correction - 30th Sep 24
The Folly of Tariffs and Trade Wars - 30th Sep 24
Gold: 5 principles to help you stay ahead of price turns - 30th Sep 24
The Everything Rally will Spark multi year Bull Market - 30th Sep 24
US FIXED MORTGAGES LIMITING SUPPLY - 23rd Sep 24
US Housing Market Free Equity - 23rd Sep 24
US Rate Cut FOMO In Stock Market Correction Window - 22nd Sep 24
US State Demographics - 22nd Sep 24
Gold and Silver Shine as the Fed Cuts Rates: What’s Next? - 22nd Sep 24
Stock Market Sentiment Speaks:Nothing Can Topple This Market - 22nd Sep 24
US Population Growth Rate - 17th Sep 24
Are Stocks Overheating? - 17th Sep 24
Sentiment Speaks: Silver Is At A Major Turning Point - 17th Sep 24
If The Stock Market Turn Quickly, How Bad Can Things Get? - 17th Sep 24
IMMIGRATION DRIVES HOUSE PRICES HIGHER - 12th Sep 24
Global Debt Bubble - 12th Sep 24
Gold’s Outlook CPI Data - 12th Sep 24
RECESSION When Yield Curve Uninverts - 8th Sep 24
Sentiment Speaks: Silver Is Set Up To Shine - 8th Sep 24
Precious Metals Shine in August: Gold and Silver Surge Ahead - 8th Sep 24
Gold’s Demand Comeback - 8th Sep 24
Gold’s Quick Reversal and Copper’s Major Indications - 8th Sep 24
GLOBAL WARMING Housing Market Consequences Right Now - 6th Sep 24
Crude Oil’s Sign for Gold Investors - 6th Sep 24
Stocks Face Uncertainty Following Sell-Off- 6th Sep 24
GOLD WILL CONTINUE TO OUTPERFORM MINING SHARES - 6th Sep 24
AI Stocks Portfolio and Bitcoin September 2024 - 3rd Sep 24
2024 = 1984 - AI Equals Loss of Agency - 30th Aug 24
UBI - Universal Billionaire Income - 30th Aug 24
US COUNTING DOWN TO CRISIS, CATASTROPHE AND COLLAPSE - 30th Aug 24
GBP/USD Uptrend: What’s Next for the Pair? - 30th Aug 24
The Post-2020 History of the 10-2 US Treasury Yield Curve - 30th Aug 24
Stocks Likely to Extend Consolidation: Topping Pattern Forming? - 30th Aug 24
Why Stock-Market Success Is Usually Only Temporary - 30th Aug 24
The Consequences of AI - 24th Aug 24
Can Greedy Politicians Really Stop Price Inflation With a "Price Gouging" Ban? - 24th Aug 24
Why Alien Intelligence Cannot Predict the Future - 23rd Aug 24
Stock Market Surefire Way to Go Broke - 23rd Aug 24
RIP Google Search - 23rd Aug 24
What happened to the Fed’s Gold? - 23rd Aug 24
US Dollar Reserves Have Dropped By 14 Percent Since 2002 - 23rd Aug 24
Will Electric Vehicles Be the Killer App for Silver? - 23rd Aug 24
EUR/USD Update: Strong Uptrend and Key Levels to Watch - 23rd Aug 24
Gold Mid-Tier Mining Stocks Fundamentals - 23rd Aug 24
My GCSE Exam Results Day Shock! 2024 - 23rd Aug 24

Market Oracle FREE Newsletter

How to Protect your Wealth by Investing in AI Tech Stocks

UK, Sheffield Flood Warning 2012, a Repeat of 2007 Floods?

Local / Sheffield Jul 06, 2012 - 07:14 AM GMT

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Local

Best Financial Markets Analysis ArticleMuch of Britain is bracing itself for a deluge of a months rainfall in just 24 hours. Sheffielders are rightly worried to prepare themselves for a potential re-run of the 2007 floods of the century, as after an extraordinarily wet June the ground was already saturated coming into July, with rain fall continuing during the first week of the month into today's deluge.

The Met Office weather maps put Sheffield at greatest risk of potential flooding during Saturday Evening and into Sunday Morning, followed by a pause in the rainfall going into Monday when the rain is expected to resume.


As things stand the current situation and forecasts do look likely to result in some localised flooding in the low-lying high risk areas situated along rivers, canals and streams, however there is no clear sign that Sheffield is set for a repeat of degree of flooding as June 2007, at least for this weekend. As a guide the estimated degree of flooding that is likely to take place during the next 48 hours can be put at about 10% of that which took place during 2007. The weather maps indicate that the areas most at risk of flooding are to the North West of the city namely surrounding Ecclesfield.

In addition to the cost of water damage repairs there is the economic impact that the city faces as a whole host of scheduled events of all sizes have been cancelled today including the Sharrow Festival and parts of the Cliffhanger Festival.

Householders Protect Your Property - Ensure Gutters and Drains are Not Blocked

Householders should quickly survey their properties during pauses in the rainfall to ensure that gutters and drains are not blocked, as well as protecting any areas of the property such as garage doors that could flood during heavy rainfall conditions.

The Great Sheffield Flood of 2007

During 2007, I managed to document the floods form before they started to after they finished in the Don Valley area of Sheffield that was picked up by the mainstream press:

The day for Sheffield, a northern English city started as usual, wet and rainy, yes there have been forecasts for a wet June and possible flooding in Northern England, but Sheffielders felt safe in the knowledge that their hilly city is not prone to flooding.

Not even Sheffielders remember when the last big flood occurred. Digging back into history you would have to back nearly 150 years to 1864 when the Dale Dyke Dam burst.

The Market Oracle, based in Sheffield and situated on the river bank that felt the full force of the flooding as the following time-line illustrates:

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -The River Don that runs through the heart of the city was a raging torrent

1.30pm - The River Don that runs through the heart of the city was a raging torrent, but in the near 15 years we have been in our current premises, I have seen this many times before, many times.

A colleague suggests that the river is going to burst its banks, having only been with us for barely 2 years, he obviously was not party to my inside knowledge that it has never flooded in at least 15 years, nor have I known any serious flooding in Sheffield in the 40 years I have lived here. So I ask my colleague to put his money where his mouth is, a bet ! "I bet you £50 the river won't burst". But he won't take the bet !

About 10 min's later, 1.40pm with the waters rising, I venture out to take a closer look.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -The river is very high, now reaching the walkway path which implies that it is likely to overspill

1.40pm - The river is very high, now reaching the walkway path which implies that it is likely to overspill, still this would be a far cry from an actual flooding

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -The drainage appears to be failing in the car park.

1.50pm - The drainage appears to be failing in the car park. Which is alarming because if the drainage is failing then it does not matter of the river bursts its banks as we could still yet get flooding. So I decide to move my car to a little higher ground, out of the car park.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -I am called to the reception to investigate flooding as water from the front of the building starts to enter the premises

1.55pm - I am called to the reception to investigate flooding as water from the front of the building starts to enter the premises

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -Barely 2 minutes later the flooding at reception worsens with the waters rising very fast.

1.57pm - Barely 2 minutes later the flooding at reception worsens with the waters rising very fast. With very little that can be done to prevent the inevitable.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -Within 10 minutes the car park is starting to sustain serious flooding.

2pm - Within 10 minutes the car park started to sustain serious flooding. Given the flooding in reception and the car park flooding, I decide to call it a day and instruct our personnel to go home.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -The front of the building is already flooded, as the drainage system completely fails.

2.02pm - The front of the building is already flooded, as the drainage system completely fails.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -Not everyone has headed the advice, cars litterally start to drift in the car park

2.17pm - Not everyone has headed the advice, one of the remaining cars literally starts to drift in the car park.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -The Reception area is flooded by 6 inches with at least another foot of water building up

2.21pm - The Reception area is flooded by 6 inches with at least another foot of water building up. The building at this point is closed.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 -The carpark is completelly floode

3.30pm - The car park is completely flooded.

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 - The front of the building is under at least 3 feet of water

3.35pm - The front of the building is under at least 3 feet of water, which means the offices will have sustained serious flooding.

3.35pm - The area is completely flooded and infarct has turned into a fast flowing river, the nearby shops are under at least 3 feet of water

 

Sheffiled Flooding 2007 - RAF helicopters are called out to rescue people trapped in neighbouring buildings as the water levels continued to rise

Throughout the late afternoon and evening, three RAF helicopters rescued hundreds of trapped people in neighbouring buildings as the water levels continued to rise.

6pm - The flooding continues in nearby roads

At the time of posting this article there were two confirmed deaths in the city, one of which was in the immediate vicinity of our building.

Serious questions need to be asked as to why the UK's fifth largest city has such an inadequate drainage system. Especially as the area is under going a construction boom with many developments near completion now damaged by flood waters.

UPDATE - THE DAY AFTER

With the flood levels having receded, the devastation caused to the surrounding area became apparent

The Car park though now dry, is caked in at least inch deep of toxic mud which needs to be removed. The clear up of ground floor workshops has already begun.

The once flooded reception area is being stripped bare.

The front of the of the building bares witness to the force of the fast flowing river

Shop fronts show extensive damage with footpaths literally washed away revealing gaping holes that some people fell into on the day of the flood.

By Nadeem Walayat

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Copyright © 2005-2012 Marketoracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd). All rights reserved.

Nadeem Walayat has over 25 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis focuses on UK inflation, economy, interest rates and housing market. He is the author of three ebook's - The Inflation Mega-Trend; The Interest Rate Mega-Trend and The Stocks Stealth Bull Market Update 2011 that can be downloaded for Free.

Stocks Stealth Bull Market Ebook DownloadThe Interest Rate Mega-Trend Ebook DownloadThe Inflation Mega-Trend Ebook Download

Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication that presents in-depth analysis from over 600 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets, thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

Nadeem Walayat Archive

© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


Post Comment

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in