An unposted vintage postcard.
Boscastle Harbour.
This is a photo of the same place from a different angle, taken by my father in 1970. He had no particular reason to take this but perhaps he had bought the card and wanted to record a similar picture.
Boscastle isn't a large place at all, but one that many people in the UK will know because in 2004 the whole village was devastated by a flash flood. Heavy rain fell for 5 hours and the river couldn't contain it. The river rose by 7 feet, 2 metres, in the space of an hour. A wave caused by water pooling behind debris caught under a bridge, and then being suddenly released as the bridge collapsed, surged down the main road. No-one was killed but many of the buildings in the old part of the village were severely damaged. Ninety-one people were rescued from roofs, buildings and cars.
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Wow Sheila what a view huh? That is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteFound your blog thru Entrecard. The postcards really look inviting. I wish to visit United Kingdom, especially the countryside, someday
ReplyDeleteHi Sheila. I remember the disaster as if it were yesterday. I cannot believe no one was killed.
ReplyDeleteWhen I taught Public Service students we used the disaster to study emergency response.
Now I mention this because it was not a very well co-ordinated rescue and luck played a big part in it not becoming a major tragedy.
Thanks, workhard.
ReplyDeleteJodi, true, it's a beautiful part of the world.
Nica, welcome! I hope you do get a chance to see the UK countryside. Some of it is really lovely.
Mike, it's amazing no-one was killed, and it must have been horrific to have been there. I didn't know the problems with the rescue. Interesting.
I remember this well, and as you say, most people in the UK will as well. There was a whole TV series about the vicar of the area at the time or just after, which I found manadatory viwing. It also reminds me of when I visited the area, when I went to Tintagel Castle, the supposed birthplace of King Arthur, which is nearby. It holds bitter sweet memories for me as the friend I went with has since died of cancer.
ReplyDeleteHi Sheila,
ReplyDeleteI visited Boscastle a couple of months ago. As you can imagine, there's a lot of info about the flood in the Tourist Information, etc.
One of the buildings that suffered serious damage was rebuilt exactly, right down to a bowed roof and a slipped tile.
John