Penzance - After Ingrid, flooding by rain and sea. Another 23mm last night.

[Graham Easterling]

It was supposed to be a drier 24 hours, no warnings even, it poured most of last night. Essentially 22:00 yesterday to 09:00 today. 23mm in that period here. Just up the road at Trengwainton 18mm, but that was just up to 07:00, it was very heavy after that.

The press has largely covered Devon rather than Cornwall post Ingrid, but there's been major flooding & disruption here from Chandra, which generated easily the biggest sea in Mount's Bay this winter. A friend (who I chatted with yesterday) was trapped in the Jubilee Pool cafe (she works there), it was flooded and closed at the time. They were fearful of the waves smashing the glass.  Wednesday evening a lightning strike during a hailstorm made sparks fly out of the sockets in her home, followed by a power cut. She lives in Hayle, not out in the sticks, and still had no power or broadband for 5 days after Ingrid. Everybody down here has a story. The network coverage is still limited.

Penzance prom 3 high tides after the biggest swell associated with "Chandra". Still flooding though.

The road surface is badly damaged. The Jubilee Pool has suffered some damage, but no major structural damage. 

Last nights rain meant the stream in my garden reached the highest level recorded since the all time record in March '13 (EA guage a few 100 yards upstream from me) Around breakfast time. The A30 just east of Penzance was closed due to flooding at Crowlas. Traffic was diverted up a single track lane, which was imapassable due to flooding. 

The other main road east (to Helston, Falmouth & the Lizard) also closed due to flooding. The 3 rail lines to Newquay, Looe & Falmouth all affected by flooding. There hasn't been a single day since Ingrid that trains have run normally. Another friend had 3 attempts recently, on different days, to get as far as Plymouth by train!

On top of all this we are still suffering from the monster that was Goretti. Power for a fair chunk of Penzance was turned off again yesterday evening for 'safety reasons' Basically repairs to HV lines damaged by Goretti. There still many households in west Cornwall that have had no broadband / landline since Goretti - 3 weeks ago now.

I've lived in west Cornwall most of my 74 years, and have never known such a prolonged period of extreme weather involving simultaneous issues from rain, wind & the sea.

The only real coverage of Cornwall, now, seems to be on trees down in NT properties, and how it will affect the tourist attraction going forward. People do live here.

Still, a nice lull in the wind, so mustn't grumble! Though it's raining

Graham

Penzance

[Graham Easterling]

Pleased to see BBC Spotlight visited people on the tip of Cornwall still without broadband, or any sort of useable network connection, on this evenings local news.

Graham