Quote of the week

Life isn't about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself'

George Bernard Shaw
If you cannot mould yourself entirely as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking?
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wish.html

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

February fill-dike, be it black or be it white.....



February ‘fill dike’ has certainly lived up to its ancient name this year!  My son has sent these photos from the Thames Valley, where he lives (fortunately up a hill!)

Compared with other parts of the United Kingdom we have remained relatively flood free in Suffolk  However, the council’s highways officers have been busy dealing with numerous local problems involving blocked drains and overflow from streams and small rivers.

This aside, the County Council, in common with local authorities from other more or less unaffected areas, has been able to offer help to other counties; water rescue teams and firemen from Suffolk have been sent to assist with emergency conditions in the Thames Valley and also on the Somerset levels.   I am assured that this didn’t compromise safety here in Suffolk.

In difficult times it is good to show mutual support.  This applies at the community as well as the official level.   According to Sue Herne, the Emergency Planning Office at Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils, recent ‘extreme weather events’, including the St Jude’s Storm and the coastal surge in December, have led to an exponential rise in interest from parishes looking to  develop their own Community Emergency Plan.  The process is generally led by the Parish Council.

In my areas, Monks Eleigh and Cockfield already have fully developed Plans in place, and a number of others are working on them.  Not all villages have signed up however.  Watching the work in progress from a distance I have been struck by how, in addition to being a good thing in itself,   the creation of a Plan brings a community together.  People with all sorts of skills, whether they are professionals such as nurses, or are just good tea makers who can offer ‘psychological first aid’, can volunteer to get involved and get to know one another better in the process.

If you want to know more about developing a Community Emergency Plan, Sue Herne  (01449 724851) will be pleased to hear from you.  More details are also available on the county wide website: www.getpreparednow.co.uk.


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