So chillingly Erie..
Town tells of floods agony as teams tackle river defences
THE scene may look like something out of Narnia but locals who woke up to it found the morning anything but magical…
A perfect storm of sub-zero temperatures, gale-force winds and 16ft waves left homes on Hoover Beach in the town of Hamburg, New York State, completely iced over.
Some of the houses, on the banks of Lake Erie, were in total darkness because the covering was up to 3ft thick in places.
“Welcome to Narnia,” local John Kucko tweeted with an image.
And Ed Mis added: “I had to go out a secondary door then chisel my way back into the house.”
Temperatures continue to drop in the area – so residents will have to get used to putting plans on ice.
SUBMERGED almost to its roof, this bungalow gives a stark illustration of the devastation and misery severe floods are still causing across the land.
The shocking image emerged after Storm Jorge became the third to pound us within a month, further swelling dangerously high rivers.
The Environment Agency added four pumps in Snaith, East Yorks, where the 18 already in use were struggling against the torrents.
Kevin and Catherine Lorryman said seeing their home almost totally underwater was “heartbreaking”. Kevin said: “We are going to have to demolish, I think.”
Catherine added: “We are just in a dreamworld at the moment and there are people all over this town exactly the same. It’s a nightmare.”
Those evacuated from George Street in Snaith included 11-weeks pregnant newlywed Katie Cuckoo.
Katie, 28, had returned to Priory Church – where she took her vows with husband Scott, 36, six weeks ago – to seek shelter after the floodwaters drove her from her home.
SURREAL
The staff nurse was joined there by her father, George Street resident Stuart Ryder, and dozens more desperate locals who were cared for by church volunteers as they awaited rescue on table tops.
Firefighters, Coastguard and Environment Agency officials evacuated them as water levels rose for the third day in a row.
Katie said: “It was surreal. It was so strange being back at the church.
“The last time I was at the church was my wedding day, when I was done up to my eyeballs, then I was back in looking a mess because I had been evacuated.
“It’s my local church and my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents all got married here, so it’s special to me. The community spirit has been amazing.”
And demonstrating that community spirit was Dave Towers, 38, who rowed a dinghy between houses on the swamped streets to help victims move their belongings.
Heavy downpours finally eased off yesterday, giving way to cold and bright conditions. But hundreds of flood warnings and alerts remained after the wettest February to date.
An average 202.1mm of rain fell last month, topping the 193.4mm of
February 1990, the Met Office said. Emergency teams repaired damaged flood barriers in parts of the West Midlands to prepare for high levels on the River Severn – predicted to peak at 5.4m to 5.7m this afternoon.
Local authorities face significant clean-up operations once flooding risks subside and water levels drop.
Thousands of homes and businesses were flooded as some areas were hit by a month’s rainfall in just 24 hours as Storm Ciara battered the land early this month, followed
a week later by Storm Dennis. Some 127,000 properties were saved by flood defences this winter, authorities said.
Around 15 rivers in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire recorded their highest levels on record and the Environment Agency warned the country needs to brace itself for “more frequent periods of extreme weather” due to climate change.
Around 1,000 staff per day have worked on flood defences, pumps and erecting barriers.
An ice warning is in force from midnight, covering much of eastern and northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and north Wales, until 10am today.
As much as 10cm of snow could fall in the peaks of Scotland and motorists have been warned to take care as freezing rains cover roads across the north.
The latter part of the coming week remains unpredictable – with snow and ice definite possibilities.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “We’re going to have showers and where they fall on frozen surfaces it’s likely to cause some difficult driving if roads do not get treated.
“Pavements and cycle paths are likely to be icy, leading to risk of slips and falls. There is a continuing risk of something a little bit wintery.”
We are going to have to demolish, I think... We are in a dreamworld. It’s a nightmare
KEVIN & CATHERINE LORRYMAN, LEFT, ON FLOODED HOME
THE heartache of the flood victims whose homes are swamped must be unbearable.
Their misery is why the Government must build better defences and fix a climate crisis.