Sous moi, le deluge
I was surprised that flooding at the end of my road was the top story on this morning's news when there are still thousands of people in Gloucestershire without electricity or clean water. For those of you unfamiliar with Oxford, Botley Road is the only road leaving central Oxford to the west. As the map shows, it's a causeway which straddles the Thames, Osney Ditch, Bullstake Stream and Seacourt (or Wytham) Stream before it reaches the ring road. Our (first-floor) flat is 300 metres beyond its western end; and that has made all the difference.
Botley Road's been closed since Sunday, at least to motor vehicles. We didn't notice all day because we could still see traffic from our flat, heading for the ring road. Janet ventured out on her bike on Monday when the main road was still easily navigable, though the side roads were in trouble. It hasn't rained since then, but the waters have been rising steadily. I suspect last night was the last time cycling along Botley Road was possible, my ankles getting rather wet in the process. Today residents have been evacuated from Osney, which is a low-lying island off Botley Road that's flooded twice in the last ten years.
In summary, I've been very lucky to be unaffected by a major flood happening within walking distance of my home. I've been taking the bus to work, the buses diverting along the ring road and back into Oxford from the north (a major rerouting but one which added just ten minutes to this morning's commute). The city centre is untouched, although there are concerns that flooding at the Osney Mead electricity substation (the transformers either side of 'Electric Ave' in this view) will cause a power cut; and Oxford University Library Services' headquarters, in the very last building on that industrial estate, has been inaccessible all week.
Botley Road's been closed since Sunday, at least to motor vehicles. We didn't notice all day because we could still see traffic from our flat, heading for the ring road. Janet ventured out on her bike on Monday when the main road was still easily navigable, though the side roads were in trouble. It hasn't rained since then, but the waters have been rising steadily. I suspect last night was the last time cycling along Botley Road was possible, my ankles getting rather wet in the process. Today residents have been evacuated from Osney, which is a low-lying island off Botley Road that's flooded twice in the last ten years.
In summary, I've been very lucky to be unaffected by a major flood happening within walking distance of my home. I've been taking the bus to work, the buses diverting along the ring road and back into Oxford from the north (a major rerouting but one which added just ten minutes to this morning's commute). The city centre is untouched, although there are concerns that flooding at the Osney Mead electricity substation (the transformers either side of 'Electric Ave' in this view) will cause a power cut; and Oxford University Library Services' headquarters, in the very last building on that industrial estate, has been inaccessible all week.