Worst still not over as waters continue to rise across Britain
THE WORST is not yet over from Storm Dennis with water expected to reach peak levels today and tomorrow, experts have warned.
Major incidents were declared in South Wales and parts of England after the North Atlantic storm dubbed a “bomb cyclone” lashed the UK with more than a month’s worth of rain in 48 hours.
A man died after falling into the River Tawe at Ystradgynlais yesterday, while rescue workers used boats to get families to safety in Nantgarw, Wales.
Two bodies were pulled from rough seas on Saturday, before the worst of the storm hit. One man was found following a search operation off Margate after an early-morning distress call, while another was found at Herne Bay.
There was relief for parts of Yorkshire where people feared a repeat of the flooding wrought by Storm Ciara just a week ago, which affected 1,000 homes and businesses in the Calder Valley alone.
But that may prove short-lived with concern growing over the risk to York, where levels on the River Ouse are due this evening to reach close to the record levels seen in the autumn of 2000.
The Environment Agency said yesterday that there were more than 600 flood warnings and alerts in place – more than any other day on record. Of them, 147 alerts were in Yorkshire.
There were also four severe flood warnings – meaning potential danger to life – on the River Teme at Eardiston, Little Hereford and Ashford Carbonel, Ludlow and Tenbury Wells.
The Met Office said that winds of more than 80mph were recorded across parts of the country, with the highest measuring 91mph in Aberdaron in North Wales on Saturday.
A total of 6.1 inches of rain fell at Crai Reservoir in Powys in the 48 hours from Friday to yesterday morning, well above the average of 4.3 inches for the month.
Severe flood warning have been issued for the rivers Neath and Taff in South Wales, as well as the River Teme further north.
South Wales Police said it had declared a major incident due to the flooding and severe weather, and emergency services were dealing with multiple floods and landslides with residents evacuated from their homes.
The British Red Cross said with water levels expected to peak today and tomorrow it was ready to respond across the country.
Its crisis response officer Georgie Timmins said: “The storms are expected to continue. It is important people are ready should the worst happen.”