Last night was an underwater adventure for many Londoners. Apparently, 3cm of rain fell in 30 minutes – which is a reasonable amount of water. The strain on the drainage system was too great and we had cars underwater, closed tube stations and some very, very wet people walking around. Many people have a perception that London is grey and always raining but it doesn’t handle rain well at all. I guess it’s all the Victorian sewers (or whatever they are).
The pictures of cars almost submerged are strangely reminiscent of my home town of Shrewsbury – which is prone to flooding. The town is mainly contained within a loop of the River Severn and, as such, seems to get drowned from all sides in the winter storms and spring thaws.
I guess Shrewsbury is my home town. I was not born there, did not live there for the first fourteen years of my life, and have not lived there for ten years. My parents still live there and I go to see them occasionally and I think of it as my home town, but really, it’s just another place I have lived. Of course, I do have very fond memories of the place which, I assume, helps.