The ex-Cornish theme park second /holiday home 'village' of Boscastle nearly got a little bit flooded yesterday - but let's remember that terrible humanitarian flooding disaster that happened around 3 years ago - No, not the Asian Tsunami! where hundreds of thousands drowned and millions more were thrown into poverty - I'm talking about when the Boscastle river flooded through some holiday homes and middle class white people nearly fell in the water!

So, here's the story from 2004:

Following violent storms and torrential flooding, visitors and homeowners are concerned for the state of disrepair of the North Cornwall holiday village of Boscastle. But today, speaking from his other holiday home in Bermuda, a City Stockbroker and Boscastle second (or possibly fourth) home owner noted that the situation would have been much worse 100 hundred years ago, when Boscastle had full time inhabitants.

‘Obviously the heart has been ripped out of this exclusive, mostly deserted, picturesque community’, he claimed, ‘But when Boscastle was a working port, with locals performing manual roles such as fishing, mining, and farming, such a flood could have claimed many lives and affected livelihoods – now its just a case of homeowners filing their insurance claims, and simply using another of their holiday homes. We should be grateful for that.’

Community leaders are equally relieved of the significant apparent loss of no life or livelihoods. ‘That 99 percent of these properties are empty for over eleven months of the year means that very few high earning visitors have had had their SUV's washed away, or their Rolex watches water damaged,’ commented the owner of a local holiday home complex. ‘Yet many of these grade II listed buildings are now in urgent need of repair in time for the next season, when literally dozens of wealthy people might want to spend a few days here to relax from their busy careers making what could be millions of pounds in questionable and tax-free circumstances.’

The damage to these expensive properties could well run into the millions, enough to pay for many affordable or council built homes for the growing population of homeless families in Cornwall. A council spokesperson was hardly candid about this dilemma: ‘Either we watch these barely used and elitist properties sink into the sand, or we come together, as a team, as Cornish people, and fix this place up so the people with lots of money can come back. We charge them a little bit more council tax than we used to, so that could really help maybe one or two people get a council house, or even pay for some glossy leaflets to tell homeless families that we are hoping to build them council houses..'

'We depend on tourism; that it has resulted in local homes being bought up for holiday lets, forced hard working people out of Boscastle, and generally made this place look like a ghost town, is part of the sacrifice we need make to further our prosperity.

'That is why central Government today has announced we will get the money to ensure that this village will be repaired to the extent that it can continue to be the preserve of the rich.’

So it seems all is not lost for this charming, pretty, quaint resort. A holiday home owner commented: ‘A colleague of mine bought a detached converted barn with sauna, walk in wine chiller and rooftop Jacuzzi, about 5 years ago. I don’t think she has even been there yet – which goes to show – she could’ve been there yesterday, I shudder to think what might have happened to her – despite the presence and massive financial cost of at least 7 helicopters, regional rescue teams and fire units from two counties.’

***

...So, remembering those horrendous events of three years ago, - No! Not Darfur, not Sudan, not Rwanda, BOSCASTLE!!!

...it's no wonder that a slight rising of the Boscastle stream be HEADLINE NEWS!



http://www.cornwall24.co.uk/module-pnForum-viewtopic-topic-2405.htm

I hope you now feel ashamed of yourself as further up the country people are losing their lives and people are having their lives ruined and what point are you trying to make as I am a working person who cannot afford to own her own house yes just outside London the same kind of people someone like you detests and I wish that I could afford my own home but sadly I cannot I will never be able to it seems esp where I grew up, yes I do understand what you are trying to say about these mega rich people but there are a lot of people in the same position up and down the country it may not be on the level of a tsunami but not just cornish people are having their lives destroyed this minute Lucy Ellis!!!

Your in-depth knowledge of Boscastle is impressive, as is your grasp of irony.

For a start, it's never been a fishing port: it grew from the slate business.

Perhaps more to the point, the flooding was news because

a. all sorts of places are vulnerable to flooding, as later events were to prove

and

b. people from the other side of the Tamar consider Boscastle very beautiful, and are concerned for the safety of the place.

One can only assume you're the same 'Lucy Ellis' who keeps getting their posts deleted from Cornwall24 ...