Wooie1958
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Any of our lot caught up in this ? France floods: 1,600 evacuated, German missing at campsite - BBC News
France Floods
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Channa
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2010 ish I was working in the Ardeche and our site flooded, the speed at how quick it all happened was astonishing.
As part of the repair and maintenance team end of the season we travelled about shutting vans down for the season. At Rocquebrune we lost 35 statics ! It happened that quickly guests were airlifted off the roof of the restaurant by helicopter ( made the news) It was absolute carnage.
The site was family owned and apparently nothing had happened since Victorian times so as a company they and us put new vans on for the following season Lightening couldn't strike twice could it ? It did and lost a few more vans.
Some visitors lost everything, their cars money passports in the mayhem I should give credit to the regional management team re locating people organising with the Consulate to get people home
The next job was firing over to Argeles Sur Mer where a couple of sites had flooded, the tent side normally nothing to do with me but a clear up operation We had a 7.5 tonne truck and visited the dump to an fro all day .......beds tents cookers etc all thrown away ruined
You think when you see these things on the news people are perhaps lacking in planning etc, But the speed it all happens is hard to describe
Not an experience I am keen to have again. I was lucky with having the motororhome I moved to a site called le Dattier which was on a hilltop
Channa
As part of the repair and maintenance team end of the season we travelled about shutting vans down for the season. At Rocquebrune we lost 35 statics ! It happened that quickly guests were airlifted off the roof of the restaurant by helicopter ( made the news) It was absolute carnage.
The site was family owned and apparently nothing had happened since Victorian times so as a company they and us put new vans on for the following season Lightening couldn't strike twice could it ? It did and lost a few more vans.
Some visitors lost everything, their cars money passports in the mayhem I should give credit to the regional management team re locating people organising with the Consulate to get people home
The next job was firing over to Argeles Sur Mer where a couple of sites had flooded, the tent side normally nothing to do with me but a clear up operation We had a 7.5 tonne truck and visited the dump to an fro all day .......beds tents cookers etc all thrown away ruined
You think when you see these things on the news people are perhaps lacking in planning etc, But the speed it all happens is hard to describe
Not an experience I am keen to have again. I was lucky with having the motororhome I moved to a site called le Dattier which was on a hilltop
Channa
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was in Ardeche by Pont D'Arc campsite in April we noted signs saying about flooding. River was low when we there but did make us think. In future going to be picky about these gorge locations by river.....stick to higher ground. These places are really expensive as well in summer off ASCI season so would not see us there flash flood season.
Channa
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If you find yourself in that neck of the woods again, there is a lovely little "free" aire/parking at L,argentiere two minutes walk into a very quaint village ...there is a campsite further up the road Les Ranchisses ( a site I lived on) off season reasonable but can flood if the river becomes excitable
Lovely part of the world though
Channa
alcam
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Channa when is the book coming out ?
You have more experiences than many of us put together . Every now and then we get little snippets such as this . Start writing
Channa
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I am not sure about more experiences but certainly found myself in unusual situations some I deliberately put myself in. The truth was I had no agenda which was a luxury having worked for years at others beck and call. What I didn't want to do was come home to the UK with my tail between my legs having failed. Work wise a few extra quid was useful to keep the ship ticking over, and I would do anything.
On some occasions I found myself at the right place and right time. I spent a winter working in the warehouse in Beziers picking parts for statics that came in useful when I joined the repair and maintenance team it was a bit mind numbing at times but served me well
Getting on R and M is an oversubscribed job, when vacancies were announced it turned out my two bosses were the interviewers and didn't do any favours if they did never let it show. Normally the jobs go to couples so that was a challenge the two main opportunities were Venice and Frejus
My exam was wiring a plug. Stuart the gaffer an electrical engineer so wires cut to the right length in the righ holes no bare wire showing.
Anyway after a couple of days Joel his oppo let slip I had got the job and brush up on my Italian elated at this point I didn't have to come home....the following day at lunchtime Stuart (who was married to a French girl ) asked if I spoke any French ..More French than Italian I said. I should mention at this stage Stuart was a Scot so bloody difficult to understand speaking English never mind French . So go on then !!! we had aconversation in French ( weird surreal experience) Stuart said nothing ,following day Joel said take you Italian phrase book back you are going to Frejus and working with a long standing engineer Matt Lawford
It turned out I was more use in France than Italy as it came to prove later in the tale of the Rat on the static
SO I was lucky really , I should have kept a diary lots of tales some quite funny
Channa