Long To Rain Over Us?

Flood warnings in force in the UK on 14 February. ©The Environment Agency.

Tim Koch writes:

Readers in Britain will not need to be told that large parts of England and Wales are in ‘flood crisis’. Since before Christmas, rising sea, river surface and ground water plus abnormally strong winter storms have caused severe flooding in low lying (and some not so low lying) areas. Correctly or not, there has been strong criticism of the Environment Agency, the body that is responsible for the management of rivers in England, and of the Government. While rural parts of the country, notably parts of the county of Somerset, have been affected for months, there is a view that the authorities have only started to take decisive action since affluent areas near London have been flooded. The crisis is far from over and the worse may still be to come. It is probably a little insensitive to talk about how rowing has been affected when a lot of people have suffered great misery so I will let the following pictures, culled from various rowing club web sites and twitter accounts, tell their own story.

Sign of the times. The rowing course at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham on 3 February. It seems to have grown from six to twelve lane. Picture: @nwscnotts.

‘Leander Island’ on 8 January. The river should only be on one side of the pontoon (dock) in front of the Pink Palace. Picture: © Robert Treharne Jones/Leander Club.

Looking down the Henley course. The river should be to the left of the trees in the middle of the watercourse. The land used for the Henley Stewards’ Enclosure, boat tent area and trailer park is all under water. © Robert Treharne Jones/Leander Club.

Looking towards Temple Island and the HRR start. © Robert Treharne Jones/Leander Club.

Pumping out floodwater, Henley Rowing Club, 9 January. Picture: @CoachBethan.

The River and Rowing Museum car park in November. Picture: www.henleywhalers.org.uk

The Henley Standard newspaper has put this aerial video online: http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=39393#vid

The boathouse at the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake near Reading, Berkshire, 10 February. Picture: Pete Reed.

Weybridge Rowing Club, Surrey, 9 February. Picture: www.weybridgerowing.co.uk

Worcester Rowing Club, 5 January. WRC often floods in a ‘normal’ year and crews rowing over the neighbouring horse racing course seems to be an almost annual event. Picture: @worcesterrowing.

Monmouth Rowing Club, Wales, 11 February. Perhaps not everyone is unhappy with the flooding. Picture: @RossGazette.