Hull flooding - am I being unreasonable?

Moos3h

Moos3h

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James
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Okay, so I'm not sure if anyone has caught the news headline that Hull is getting 14 million for the flood relief?

Now, don't get me wrong, I think it's unfortunate and upsetting that people have lost their homes and livelihoods. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy and I think it's great that government have said they will do what they can to help.

But from the soundbites and interviews, I find the tone of SOME of those affected very hard to deal with. One radio soundbite had a resident saying "We've been told we can't go back to our house, we're having to eat out each night, who pays for that?".

And this seems to be a familiar question, 'Who'll pay for this....?'. Well, insurance companies in some cases and in some cases, the people who were unfortunate enough to be affected.

I realise that this may sound harsh, but sometimes bad things happen - there can be no predicting it, they just do.

Look at Hurricane Katrina, serious, serious stuff that highlighted a breakdown in humanity and where many lost their lives and loved ones.

Now compare that with the SHOCK HORROR news stories running about people being forced to redecorate their homes because of flood water.

I'm sure that most of this is stirred up by the media, but I can't help but think we should be greatful that in the floods, there was very little loss of life.

Perhaps I'm asking the impossible, could the media put this in perspective? I'm sure the last thing that the residents affected need, is to be shown as demanding handouts left, right and centre.

Just some food for thought, and once again I am sorry for those affected, I hope that no-one else ever has to deal with this sort of thing, but sadly this is the way things go sometimes, and tragedy can touch us all at some time or another.

Cheers,
James
 
A little Perspective ... tat least they will get something back, I was unlucky enough to be in Glasgow Airport last Saturday picking up my in-laws.

Not only did i the cost of having to get someone else to come and get us, the cost of the parking which was rediculous as they didn't adjust it and charged me 2 days parking as i couldn't get the car back until Monday, i had to pay to get to glasgow again to get the car and had 3 trips to try and find my in-laws luggage and wheelchair.

The response to anything "acts of terrorism are not covered".
 
ifotou said:
A little Perspective ... tat least they will get something back, I was unlucky enough to be in Glasgow Airport last Saturday picking up my in-laws.

Not only did i the cost of having to get someone else to come and get us, the cost of the parking which was rediculous as they didn't adjust it and charged me 2 days parking as i couldn't get the car back until Monday, i had to pay to get to glasgow again to get the car and had 3 trips to try and find my in-laws luggage and wheelchair.

The response to anything "acts of terrorism are not covered".
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I'd rather have had to pay <£100 in total and still be here and not have been blown up by some nutcase to be honest. Be thankful for that ;)
 
14 million pounds is about 25 pence from everyone in this country.

I might just be able to afford that.

The total cost is estimated to be 1.5 billion
 
hyp, that's a fair point, and I realise that. I guess my beef is with the reporting of it, more than anything.

I guess no-one wants dull news though eh?

Cheers,
James
 
Matt Charlton said:
I'd rather have had to pay <£100 in total and still be here and not have been blown up by some nutcase to be honest. Be thankful for that ;)
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Hey dude believe me i am :) Lucky if i was 20 yards from where it happened, and first to admit i screamed like a baby and ran (but hey my wife is expecting another baby very soon).

We were lucky though there are others not so fortuanate, there were guys next to us who were from inverness and getting luggage back etc is a nightmare with the travel companies saying "come and get it" and not willing to send it out as "its not their fault"

Insurance comapnies saying "acts of terrorism" and "acts of god" is just a cop out in my opinion. Yes they are both seriously difficult to predict but someone needs to help somewhere.
 
there were emergency funds set up and vast amounts of money raised for the americans in new orleans, and other countries such as the tsumani etc. Do you think other countries will do the same for our victims of a natural disarster. Like F*** will they. Next time a emergency fund is set up, it should be a just in case in the UK fund. Charity as the saying goes should stay at home, but it it doesn't no-one returns the favour.

Thats my little rant over.
 
Not at all, I think it's related! The point I guess is that sometimes, as much as it sucks, sometimes no-one pays up.

Glad you're safe btw - nasty experience to have, I can empathise - was on one the tubes that got blown up, exactly (to the minute) 24 hours before.

I count myself hugely lucky.

Cheers,
James
 
natjag said:
there were emergency fund set up and vast amounts of money raised for the americans in new orleans, and other countries such as the tsumani etc. Do you think other countries will do the same for our victims of a natural disarster. Like F*** will they. Next time a emergency fund is set up, it should be a just in case in the UK fund. Charity as the saying goes should stay at home, but it it doesn't no-one returns the favour.

Thats my little rant over.
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But aren't we talking about tragedy on a much larger scale in those instances?
 
Hey James :) totally mate, no matter how much it sucks sometimes no-one is willing to foot the bill.

eek re the tubes, at least at the airport no-one was killed, as much down to luck than anything else.
 
Oh we all foot the bill in one way or another.

I think my house insurance is £70ish a month (building and contents), so we're looking at over £800 a year, into my 4th year paying that and not claimed (and won't have to hopefully) so that'll go towards the customers with flood damage and everyone's rates will go up.

Build houses on flood plains, you'll get flooded, simple as.
 
I didn't think the act of god stuff stood anymore, because lightning strikes and things weren't covered at one point.

I think if you live in an area which is liable to flooding there will be an excess and possibly exclusions.
 
I know what you mean Moos3h. One thing I am finding odd is that people who had no insurance seem to be getting more help than people who did. Was listening to something earlier about some centre that has bags of "aid" in three bags: Gold, Silver and Bronze. The people with no insurance got a gold bag (para-phrasing here) which had supplies and even tents etc I think. Now fair enough they need food and shelter, but it seems that people who paid and prepared for such an event are left to fend for themselves until the insurance paid up.

I then thought about it more, and I guess the theory is that the people who didnt have insurance where the people who couldnt afford it. But with this being reported so widely I can see people in the future going "Oh I dont need to worry if I dont have insurance again floods etc, as I will get everything handed too me on a plate if anything happens" which still seems really un-fair somehow. I am sure there are many people out there who cant afford insurance but some how manage to pay for it, because they want the insruance they are covered. How must they feel?

Maybe I am being too harsh, and I really don't want to see people suffer...but it jarred with me when I heard it on the news.

Now I am no expert on insurance (in fact I know nothing) but I am guessing these people with "no insurace" maybe had contents insurance but its doesnt cover flood damage, which I guess you dont worry about when you havent been flooded before.

Anyway, lost track of my own post now, so erm......Meh. Just glad there wasnt a great loss of life (but still sad there were some people killed)
 
Ok lots more posts in the time it took me to write that boring essay above :p
 
Dont get me started on building on flood plains! Bloody stupid that is. The river here has huge flood plains, that oddly enough have flooded a lot recently...just down the river they are starting to build some houses on the site of a factory on the flood plains, that closed.........BECAUSE IT KEPT GETTING FLOODED! It amazed me. They build a grass bank around it, to stop it flooding, but that just raises the water in other areas so they now flood...so people who hadnt been flooded before suddenly end up flooded like now :( (or so it seems)
 
Matt Charlton said:
Oh we all foot the bill in one way or another.

I think my house insurance is £70ish a month (building and contents), so we're looking at over £800 a year, into my 4th year paying that and not claimed (and won't have to hopefully) so that'll go towards the customers with flood damage and everyone's rates will go up.

Build houses on flood plains, you'll get flooded, simple as.
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:agreed:

If you don't have house insurance then tough luck you should not have been so stupid in the first place.

I think I cancel my house insurance as looks like the government will pay-up if anything goes wrong.






Oh hang on a minute I am a tax paying full time worker, the goverment would just put two fingers up to me .
 
Moos3h said:
One radio soundbite had a resident saying "We've been told we can't go back to our house, we're having to eat out each night, who pays for that?".
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we have the nanny state to thank for this sort of attitude. :(

If you don't, won't or can't have full house/buildings/contents insurance then go live in a tree house. Why should I pay for your stupidity?

And if you live on a flood plain - then see a psychiatrist.
 
The ironic thing is, Hull has a tidal barrier on the junction of the River Hull and Humber in the centre of the city. Trouble is though, this water didn't come from the Humber so the barrier was of no use to stop the flooding.

Although I do sympathise with most of the flooded residents and business places (about 17,000 places were flooded out in Hull), I do not have any sympathy for those with no insurance. One news clip on the local BBC Radio Humberside up here, there was a resident who claimed to be working full time but didn't have enough spare money to pay for insurance - surely this is one of those things that you invest in before paying out for any luxuries in life?????
 
I live in Hull, so have seen all this first hand. First off, I have to agree with you, those without insurance (which includes my girlfreind) are daft. I always have it (go figure though, I didn't get flooded, she did).

As for the figure of 14 million - well, thats a toughy. The local authority reckons it will cost about 150 mill to put right. From actually seeing the damage I don't think this will go very far. Many schools and businesses have been devastated, and the cleanup is a complicated job because much of the water was contaminated with sewerage. It isn't just a matter of drying out and redecorating. Much of what has been touched by the water has to be replaced, starting with the floors. This is major work.

Insurance is riduclously expensive here because of the crime rate.The majority of those that were flooded will have had insurance, but you really can't ignore the people who couldn't afford the insurance can you? Hull is a place that suffers from large amounts of material disadvantage already - I think that it really does need the money to get back on its feet. However, someone does have to sit down and have a serious think about why they build on flood plains in the first place.
 
PS: As far as I know - the money from the government is for infrastructure, not for those that didn't have insurance. The community is rallying around for those.
 
i agree with matt on this, if you dont have insurance your bloody stupid (especially seeing as most mortgage companys stipulate you must have minimum buildings insurance, or atleast mine does) how can you reasonably expect compensation and remedial work to be undertaken, if there is some sort of "rally round" scheme for these people i certainly wont be chipping in TBH im sick of people needing bailing out and the good and kind citizens of the uk having to stump up the cash, but its ok because im fairly sure gordon brown lies in bed at night thinking up new hairbrained schemes to screw over the hard working populus to benefit others....

and pulling the "cant afford insurance" line doesnt work on me, if you cant insure it then you shouldnt have it, same with cars, same with houses in this case
 
re "act of god"
What happens if you're an athiest? This isnt a joke, if you dont believe in any type of God, then you should'nt be affected by other peoples beliefs.
What do the insurance companies do then.
Dean:)
 
Oooh good question Dino f. 'Act of God' - as far as I know there has never been any proof that 'god' exists - so in that case there must be an argument with insurance companies that they have a major clause in some of their policies that talk about a 'mythical being'. They might as well change the wording to 'Act of goblins' etc etc....... :thinking:
 
The 'act of god' used by insurance companies is archaic legal terminology dating back centuries. It can be translated as an event which 'is accepted legally as being outside human control'. It can be any event which no reasonable preventative or preparatory measures could be taken to stop it happening or to alleviate its effects.

There is a funny film about this called The Man Who Sued God. In reality it has never been challenged, because to do so would require someone to prove that god does not exist.

A pretty good get out clause for insurance companies.
 
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