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 18/12/2007, 8:30 AM
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john
Joined on 07/08/2007
Posts 1,218
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I am afraid Jill and B.B. it is the same old story in this country.If a disaster is imminent you are "swamped" with the media.The minute that appears to come and go so do the media.It does not matter that you are homeless or who failed to sound the sirens.If this amount of flooding had occured overseas the government would have been seen to be giving out handouts and collections organised.But,no,not this country the I am all right Jack attitude is alright until those people run into trouble.I wish all of you in Walcott a Happy Christmas[well as best as you can] and a Happy New Year and hope that you will soon be back in your own homes.John
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14/01/2008, 11:45 AM
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Jill
 
Joined on 15/08/2005
Norfolk
Posts 1,999
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Hi again
Just an update on the flooding/siren situation in Walcott
We now have questionaires asking when, how and where the sirens should be sited, sent out by the NNDC.
The questions are repetative, ambiguous and worded in jargonese, numerous complaints from the residents.
I attended a meeting regarding these matters and was handed a criteria regarding all aspects of the siren. On the night, other representatives from local parish and district councils were expected to ask relevant questions there and then, without previous recourse to assessing or understanding some very obscure environmental graphs and information.
This was met with derision and anger that such an old trick was used to limit the scope of the discussion by such underhand methods by ther NNDC.
The NNDC now holds the line that it must move forward, but will not say what lessons have been learned, how it has investigated the actions of its employees on the night or even what it will do in a future similar flooding incident.
They refused to answer if in a future similar situation the siren would be sounded.
In Walcott the residents have lost all faith in the NNDC not only for the failing on the night of Nov 8/9th but their blanket refusal to take responsibility for their actions blaming all and sundry apart from their representatives and using every method in the book to prevent the Walcott residents from getting to the truth. They supplied blatant misleading statements to the Scrutiny Committee saying that Walcott was rubbish free when white goods still littered the village.
They also said they had not let Walcott down, when residents dispute this hotly, yet were not allowed to challenge this statement in the council chamber.
Wouldnt you think it was all down to common sense, if you were going to be flooded, what would you want to happen. You would want the Environment Agency to let you know by telephone that there was a flood watch in place, then updated to a flood warning to let you get ready to evacuate, then a siren when evacuation is needed backed by the flood wardens on the ground.
What is so hard about that. Why do you need questionaires? Not everyone, especially the elderly will be aware of it but at least it gives time for the able bodied people to check on them before flooding and not as in the case in November, as it is pouring throught the doors.
With council officials such as the ones at the NNDC, who in their eyes are perfect, a tragedy is waiting to happen. We have kicked them all the way to this level of awareness as their blinkered viewpoint before the flooding has at least now been taken away and replaced by a modicum of common sense.
I am presenting our petition at County Hall, tomorrow at 9.45 which says it wants the Siren control removed from Silver Control and placed in the hands of the Walcott Flood Wardens, who are monitoring the situation on the ground, at the time and are in full awareness of what is happenening in our village.
By the way, the non existant Police on the night of Nov 8/9 in our village have said if the Flood Wardens had have sounded the Siren that night, they would have been prosecuted.
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14/01/2008, 11:59 AM
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keith gerrard
Joined on 16/04/2004
Posts 11,200
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16/01/2008, 2:27 PM
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Jill
Joined on 15/08/2005
Norfolk
Posts 1,999
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I presented the petition to NCC and it went very well indeed.
They read out a letter from the Chief Constable and it was obvious he had in all good faith signed his name to what he had been briefed and not what had actually happened.
He criticized our Flood Wardens for being confused, said we had a police prescence, a couple of younf lads without wet weather gear, I have just been speaking to one about it, the waves came over the car park asnd their police car was wrecked. Poor buggers, know how they feel.
I went another meeting about the sirens last night in Cley.
When the council officials saw I was there, I was told by the chairman, that I was not invited, I was not welcome, I was there only to cause trouble and disruption, it was not my area and if I tried to go to the meeting they would throw me out.
I respnmded I had no intention of speaking as I just wanted to find out how the Cley people viewed the happenings of November but I was then berated by another council official who saidI had had my say at Bacton and disruption was the only reason I was there.
I might add, people from many areas were at the Bacton meeting when I gave them a grilling and they did not want another meeting like that and the only way to keep me quiet and tell the truth what went on was to chuck me out.
I said I was a Flood Victim(aaah) Walcott representative and as others had spoken at Bacton, I was entitled to go to this meeting. I was again toldat that they would throw me out. So I took them on and said, OK do it and I will kick and yell all the way to the nearest press office, miravculously the doors opened.
We were then subjected by the chairman that there were two people from Walcott who shouldnt be there, they would not be allowed to speak and only observe.
In the cold light of day, I complained to the local police to ensure it would not reoccur a second time.
I now have an invitation to telephone the Chief Executive of North Norfolk District Council
Let him wait, apologies not accepted, new sirens are. Have I got them on the run?
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16/01/2008, 3:35 PM
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john
Joined on 07/08/2007
Posts 1,218
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If thats the way they want it Jill,give it to them.Arrange another meeting of your own together with your M.P. and bar the council from your meeting.Make sure you are on private grounds. I have sat on that many councils and I came to the conclusion they want you there if you say nothing against them,and to pick your brains because you know more than them.Best of luck and glad to see you back in harness.John
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16/01/2008, 4:02 PM
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kenneth
Joined on 14/08/2003
Posts 1,101
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Jill, the way you were treated by those 'who rule' was appalling. Why on earth isn't there a viable newspaper in the locality with the willingness to expose this nonsense?
I am reminded of a comment from an editor of a European newspaper who said his paper had 'a duty to be a chronicler". No such reponse to duty is apparent among the Norfok media it seems.
Not that anyone reads the blogs on the EDP24 sites, but you might want to start one and include all of your experiences with the council twits just to make a 'chronicle' of these events.
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16/01/2008, 6:12 PM
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BB
Joined on 14/10/2006
Posts 1,004
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 POG wrote: | |
Jill, I wonder if they would have treated you so rudely had you had with you a crew from local television (Anglia or BBC) news?
Just a thought for your next meeting... ![Wink [;)]](/cs/emoticons/emotion-5.gif)
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Better still, a hidden video camera, on which to capture these people's true colours.
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16/01/2008, 7:14 PM
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nevermind
Joined on 28/05/2007
Posts 1,705
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| BB wrote: | | POG wrote: | |
Jill, I wonder if they would have treated you so rudely had you had with you a crew from local television (Anglia or BBC) news?
Just a thought for your next meeting...
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Better still, a hidden video camera, on which to capture these people's true colours.
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Thats a good idea BB, followed by a public exposee on youtube. Should the council not know about it, you can send them an email to all departments and include DEFRA and NCC in the email, they wouldn't want to miss it, a sort of guarantee that something will be done about it.
I have used and old fashioned walkman with automatic voice start for sitting in meetings, recording some of the rants and objectionable remarks of a certain councillor, now not in local Government anymore, but still as cocky as a spaniel.
Today I heard a couple on the radio, they have been flooded 6 times during the last 2 years, had just finished a 250.000 rebuild, the electrician had just left. His wife was in tears, she really could not cope anymore, she wanted to leave everything and just go away, close to loosing it.
Flooding is a permanent problem if the weather pattern are as erratic as they have been for the last few years, we knew it was coming, but still it is being explained away with some natural phenomena somewhere else, fact is we are facing drastic change and have to adopt our civil engeneering projects, rethink what we say and do about the Broads and any other low lying area. Your story about the missing floodwarning and the posturing of some involved makes it obvious that we have to help ourselves.
If Walcott agrees to have a floodwarning system, regardless what the various council say, then you can get yourselves one, what they gonna do about you trying to safe your lives? arrest you all, put you in prison?
No, never, the resulting publicity would scald them so badly that it probably would not even get that far.
How about a phone operated buzzer for those hard of hearing, so if someone rings , don't know however many, they might not hear the sirens outside. Blind people need considering and when it comes to moving out, those who cannot walk or are disabled, maybe an arrangement with a bus company which would be in the loop as well and send a bust to pick people up.
just a few suggestion. nevermind
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17/01/2008, 11:46 AM
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keith gerrard
Joined on 16/04/2004
Posts 11,200
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Absolutely Nevermind.
Jill you should organize your own meeting and make arrangements for flood warning yourselves.
Name and shame the council, they are irrelevant it seems to your needs.
I think you will get a great deal of support, not only from Walcott either.
Dream on keithgerrard@gerrard24.freeserve.co.uk
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21/01/2008, 11:43 AM
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Jill
Joined on 15/08/2005
Norfolk
Posts 1,999
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Thank you so much for all your supportive posts.
I have now smacked them with an official complaint and if it is not dealt with fairly I will go all the way to the Ombudsman
I was slow not to get my mobile phone out to video it but I was so shocked it didnt occur to me.
Yes, mumurings have been circulating about non co operation with the NNDC and meetings are planned to start our own warning system but of course this will be stamped on by the authorities, so least said in public the better, know what I mean, wink, wink.
If our Flood Wardens refuse to work under Silver Control, what would they do? The thing is our Flood Wardens are decent people and have bought all their own equipment themselves. The last thing they want is all this fuss by inept officials.
I am going to write to the letters page of the North Norfolk News, they have been very supportive in the past but I am going to put in print the questions that NNDC refused to answer in the meetings.
Will keep you posted
Regards
Jill
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22/01/2008, 1:47 PM
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john
Joined on 07/08/2007
Posts 1,218
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Jill.I hope some of your group can find time to write to Mr.Phil Woolas,Minister for the Environment,Nobel House,17,Smith Square,London.SW1P 3JR because he is of the opinion that everything is *** dorey as far as flood warnings are concerned.John
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22/01/2008, 4:01 PM
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Jill
Joined on 15/08/2005
Norfolk
Posts 1,999
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Hi from the library
It seems the person who was so rude to me at the meeting is on the board of the Norfolk Police Authority
No wonder my complaint was not taken seriously
Keith, your old boys network is not only working but seen to be working in my area.
But will keep pushing and pushing
I have spoken to two local politicians and they said what happened to me was interesting, does anyone know what this means as the word "interesting" could mean they are not going to do anything about it, was a platitude and a word for "who cares"
Can anyone advise me on this, so I recognise it if I hear it again.
Thanks for all your answers and I will be hard writing all the letters to the people you have advised.
Many thanks
jill
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EDP24 Forums » EDP24 General » News » Re: Walcott hits back
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