So tomorrow is forecast to be moderate wind and rain across East Anglia. That’s what the Met Office said 2 years and 2 days ago, when Storm Babet hit. It sat stuck over our part of the country for several hours, causing horrific flooding. The nearby towns of Debenham and Framlingham were several feet under water, children were rescued from school in tractors and many homes were severely damaged that awful day. I know families who are still waiting for their insurers to pay out and some have not been able to go home yet.
I still haven’t gotten over the trauma of drowning our car in 3ft of flood water trying to get to the boy’s schools – we never made it and had to rely on the kindness of strangers to take them in overnight. Then there was the amazing farmer who came and rescued us in his tractor – he and his wife fed and clothed us until another kind stranger was able to take us home. We didn’t lose as much as many others, but it was an experience I never want to have again.
Then we had the stress of dealing with a written-off car – thankfully the insurer didn’t blame us for getting caught in a flash flood, sorted out the recovery and paid out in just a couple of weeks. I bloody miss that little Fiat Panda 4×4, it was a tough little bugger and the most characterful car we’ve ever owned.
Anyway, here’s what’s due to pass over us at 9am tomorrow morning. The boys have long journeys to school and I can’t deny I’m a bit nervous.
I’ll be checking the weather reports first thing and seeing if any school closures are reported. Babet caught everyone by surprise with its intensity, I’m hoping the authorities have learned some important lessons and will be more cautious.
UPDATE: Thursday 23rd of October – Storm turned out to be less of an issue than feared. Very windy and wet early on, but school runs no problem at all.