by Joe Jeffrey
Flood-hit communities batten down hatches as Storm Frank promises more misery ahead
The Met office has issued amber ‘be prepared’ weather warnings following a spate of flooding across northern parts of the UK over the Christmas period.
Forecasters have predicted up to 90mm of rain could fall in parts of Cumbria on Wednesday, with the potential to reach up to 140mm in exposed areas, adding to the devastation caused by Storm Desmond earlier in the month.
Meanwhile, firefighters in Greater Manchester have been praised for rescuing around 1,000 people from floods as water levels rose rapidly in less than 24 hours, as crews were described as responding “magnificently” by Fire Authority chairman, David Acton.
Incidents included 47 people requiring to be rescued from a caravan site on Sunday which was affected by rising water, including four members of a family in a car which had become stranded in rising water.
Yellow ‘be aware’ warnings of rain and wind across the northwest have also been issued including in Lancashire following on from the effects of storms over the Christmas period which saw many people evacuated from their homes.
The new warnings come in light of the Environment Agency (EA) promising to reevaluate flooding preparedness, with EA chief executive David Rooke indicating it was set to look at different ways to flood-proof homes as well as traditional forms of flood defence.
Nine severe flood warnings are currently enforced across the country, indicating “danger to life” across many other parts of the North, including in York which is still suffering from flooding over the Christmas period.
It is estimated that the cost of repairing the devastation caused by extreme weather could exceed £5.8bn.
Are you experiencing adverse weather where you are at present? let us know in the comments below.
