Catching up

And still it rains. And still the water comes in.

We got the local paper yesterday to see just how bad things had been locally. We hadn’t ventured out of the house for the duration. So we read how the River Lune stretched up through the bus station in Lancaster, some distance away from its usual course. It hadn’t occurred to me that, as Storm Desmond hit on Saturday night, like any city Lancaster was heaving with merrymakers. Hundreds found themselves on the wrong side of the river, unable to get home. They ended up staying at pubs on higher ground where at least they were dry & warm. Businesses along the quayside will be closed well into the New Year, just at a time when they should be at the busiest.

We heard, too, from friends their experiences & snippets of news. Some corner shops opened to find themselves robbed as nobody could observe shoplifting in the dark. A jewellers was robbed – the alarms were powered by electricity.

At the same time there were stories of others going out of their way to help those in greater need, people who came to the rescue with food & offers of hospitality in their still warm homes. The good stories we’ve heard far outweigh the bad. Most people have acted unselfishly, helping wherever they can, a sense of community to the fore. Famous people, such as the Krankies were rescued from marooned cars.

And now we face another weekend of rain. We’re still on temporary generators, not fully joined up to the national grid. We still hear rumours of further blackouts. We still keep torches & candles near at hand, just in case. I just hope it won’t be as bad as last weekend. It can’t be. Can it?