LONDON: Hundreds more homes risked being swamped by floods in southeast England on Tuesday after the River Thames burst its banks and one of the country's busiest rail routes was severely disrupted.
Affluent towns and villages along the Thames to the west of London have been transformed into lagoons, and the government faced more criticism of a lack of preparedness after a month of floods misery across England.
More than 1,000 people have been forced to flee their homes this month following the wettest January since 1766, and the situation was set to worsen with heavy rain and storms on the way by Friday.
Flooding first hit the largely rural county of Somerset but has now engulfed towns and village along the swollen Thames, encroaching on London.
In a sign of the frustration, defence minister Philip Hammond was confronted by an angry resident in Wraysbury, a village beside the Thames where floodwaters have risen fast since the weekend.
Su Burrows, a volunteer flood warden, said the relief effort had been left to residents like her and pleaded with Hammond for military help to distribute sandbags.
"I'm sorry, I am going to get emotional. There are 100 people of this village currently working together, none of them agents, not one," she told Hammond in the testy exchange on Sky News television.
"We have been working for 48 hours evacuating people, risking our own lives going into waters that would be over my head," she said.
"What will it take for you to understand we are seriously in need?"
Hammond assured her than a combined military and police operation had been launched to deliver sandbags, and told her: "I thought they would be here by now."
He said 1,600 armed forces personnel were on standby to assist.
Hammond earlier insisted that the government "has got a grip on this" but cautioned that authorities cannot "prevent the course of nature".
He told BBC radio: "We are dealing with an enormous force of nature here, vast quantities of water, an unprecedented weather pattern, and, while the authorities can and must do everything that is possible, there are some things I'm afraid that we just can't do."
Residents have complained that their vacant homes have been looted. Many houses in Wraysbury and neighbouring villages are worth over one million pounds (1.2 million euros, $1.65 million).
Insurers said overall claims had already exceeded £500 million and the bill would rise fast.
Tens of thousands of commuters had their journeys disrupted as services from London Paddington station to the key commuter town of Reading to the west were heavily disrupted along the waterlogged track.
On the southwest coast, Prince Minister David Cameron saw for himself the damage to the railway line at Dawlish in Devon, caused by massive waves crashing against the coastline.
Train services to southwest England have been cut off by the damage to the track.
Cameron warned it was "going to take time before we get things back to normal".
"It is a huge challenge and we have had the wettest start to a year for 250 years, some of the most extreme weather we have seen in our country in decades," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Homes-swamped-transport-chaos-as-floods-take-toll-in-England/articleshow/30235070.cms
11/2/14
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- England unter Wasser: Tausende fliehen
Die Briten sind nasses Wetter gewöhnt - doch die aktuellen Regenfälle machen selbst ihnen schwer zu schaffen.........12 fotos.......http://kurier.at/politik/weltchronik/england-unter-wasser-tausende-fliehen/50.936.419/slideshow
11/2/14
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11/2/14
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Floods continue to batter UK....
ReplyDeleteCameron cancels Israel visit as hundreds are evacuated from homes.
LONDON -Hundreds have been evacuated from their homes as floods continue to batter parts of the UK.
The UK's national weather service has issued various weather warnings for Wednesday, severe flood warnings have been in place along the Thames River and 16 severe flood warnings are in place in Berkshire, Surrey and Somerset. Around a thousand homes have been damaged in towns and villages along the river.
A total of 1,600 military personnel have been deployed to southern England to assist those affected by the floods. Emergency services have been working to rescue stranded residents in various places.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has been visiting the heavily damaged areas, said Tuesday that the government would do everything it could. "If money needs to be spent, it will be spent. If resources are required, we will provide them and if the military can help, they will be there," he added.
Cameron later held a press conference at 10 Downing Street regarding the floods. He also announced the cancellation of his planned visit to Israel next week to deal with the ongoing crisis.
"I am sending my apologies today to (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and (Palestinian) President (Mahmoud) Abbas, but nothing is more important than dealing with these floods," he said.
Britain's rail network has also been affected. Due to the heavy rainfall near Maidenhead, trains from London's Paddington Station have been delayed.
January has been the wettest month in the UK in 200 years. More than 5,000 homes have been flooded in the last two months.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/286644--floods-continue-to-batter-uk
11/2/14
Red warning for damaging winds....
ReplyDeleteThe Met Office has issued a rare red warning – meaning take action – because of the exceptionally strong winds forecast for Wales and north-west England.
It says:
During this afternoon a swathe of exceptionally strong winds is expected to affect western parts of Wales and then some northwestern parts of England this evening, particularly in coastal areas. Winds are expected to gust 80 mph widely and possibly reach 100 mph in the most exposed locations in west and northwest Wales.
Winds of this strength can cause widespread structural damage, bringing down trees and also leading to loss of power supplies. In addition, large waves are likely to affect some coasts. The public should take action to alter their travel arrangements during this spell of storm force winds..................http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2014/feb/12/flood-crisis-gales-and-more-heavy-rain-forecast-live-updates
12/2/14
Flood misery set to continue in south of Britain...
ReplyDeleteWorsening floods continue to affect swathes of southern England, as British Prime Minister David Cameron convened a meeting of the crisis response committee.
Cameron said everything that has been promised must be delivered. On Tuesday he pledged that whatever amount of money was needed would be spent on responding to the floods.
Britain is dealing with some of its wettest weather in 250 years. The UK Environment Agency had 16 severe flood warnings in place across England and Wales on Wednesday.
http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20140212/105747.shtml
12/2/14
Inondations en Grande-Bretagne: mobilisation générale mais tardive....
ReplyDeleteLa mobilisation était visible mercredi au Royaume-Uni sur le terrain des inondations, après le branle-bas de combat décrété par le Premier ministre David Cameron critiqué pour la lenteurs des secours tandis que se profilent de nouvelles fortes précipitations. Selon des experts, certaines régions devront patienter jusqu'en mai avant de se retrouver au sec
Alors qu'une partie du sud-ouest de l’Angleterre a les pieds dans l'eau depuis le Nouvel An et que le front des inondations a avancé jusqu'aux portes de Londres, des pluies et des vents jusqu'à 160 km/h laissaient craindre une nouvelle aggravation de la situation mercredi.
2000 soldats ont été déployés pour construire des digues
En soirée, un septuagénaire est mort électrocuté alors qu'il tentait de déplacer un arbre tombé sur des cables électriques près de Chippenham, dans le sud-ouest de l'Angleterre. Quelque 147.000 foyers sont privés d'électricité, particulièrement au Pays de Galles, après des chutes de lignes à haute tension.
Quatorze alertes d'inondations sévères, c'est-à-dire pouvant poser un risque mortel, étaient maintenues dans le Berkshire et le Surrey, deux régions situées à l'ouest de Londres.......http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_inondations-en-grande-bretagne-mobilisation-generale-mais-tardive?id=8199597
13/2/14
UK storms hit railways, roads and power supplies – live updates
ReplyDelete1. Tens of thousands of homes without power
2. Yet another band of heavy rain and strong winds to come
3. River levels on the Thames and Severn approach record levels
4. Widespread delays and cancellations on the rail network
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Wiltshire Police have confirmed that a man in his 70s died on Wednesday in a suspected electrocution while attempting to move a tree which had brought down power cables near Chippenham.
Wiltshire Police were called at just after 3:10pm to initial reports of the fallen tree.
At 3:20pm, whilst police response officers were on the way to Bremhill, at around 3:20pm, they were called again via 999 with reports of a man injured at the scene.
The ambulance service also attended but sadly the man was pronounced dead at the scene..............http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2014/feb/13/uk-storms-hit-railways-roads-and-power-supplies-live-updates
13/2/14
Netanyahu to Cameron: Israel willing to provide flood assistance ...
ReplyDeletePrime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone on Thursday with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Cameron postponed his scheduled trip to Israel due to the major flooding that has hit the United Kingdom in recent days.
The Israeli leader told Cameron that Israel was willing to provide any assistance to the British in case it was needed.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Netanyahu-to-Cameron-Israel-willing-to-provide-flood-assistance-341422
13/2/14
Reino Unido pede ajuda para enfrentar mau tempo...
ReplyDeleteO primeiro-ministro britânico, David Cameron, anunciou esta quinta-feira ter pedido ajuda financeira à União Europeia, para enfrentar os efeitos do mau tempo que há semanas devasta o Reino Unido, privando de eletricidade milhares de lares.
Cameron - que em janeiro do ano passado se comprometeu a realizar, até 2017, um referendo sobre a permanência do Reino Unido na União Europeia - disse que está a tentar "obter ajuda" junto das instituições comunitárias, sobretudo "para os agricultores britânicos".
Para o chefe do Governo britânico, o principal apoio que os "países estrangeiros" podem dar diz respeito a "competência técnica". Em concreto, mencionou "especialistas holandeses" que poderão ajudar a "bombear a água e organizar sistemas de proteção contra inundações".
Na quarta-feira, David Cameron disse no Parlamento que "o dinheiro não é um assunto nas operações de socorro". O Governo já anunciou a atribuição de compensações de cerca de seis mil euros para empresários e proprietários atingidos pelas inundações.
David Cameron, que se ocupa pessoalmente das cheias desde que o seu governo foi acusado de inação por habitantes em fúria, presidiu esta manhã a mais uma reunião de emergência sobre as intempéries, que já causaram um morto por eletrocussão, vários feridos, perturbações nos transportes, com o encerramento de estradas e linhas ferroviárias, e inundação de propriedades...............http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Mundo/Interior.aspx?content_id=3685610
13/2/14
Une nouvelle tempête approche de la Grande-Bretagne....
ReplyDeleteUne nouvelle tempête en provenance de l'Atlantique se dirigeait vendredi vers la Grande-Bretagne, menaçant de déverser l'équivalent d'un mois de pluie sur de larges portions du pays peinant déjà à gérer l'hiver le plus humide depuis 250 ans.
Selon la météo britannique, une tempête mêlant vent, pluie et neige va traverser tout le pays en commençant par le sud-ouest de l'Angleterre vendredi matin.
Les fortes pluies pourraient conduire à l'évacuation d'un millier d'habitations supplémentaires, a indiqué l'Agence britannique de l'Environnement au quotidien The Daily Telegraph, avec des précipitations allant jusqu'à 40 mm en six heures.
Mise en garde contre des vagues énormes
L'Agence a mis en garde contre des vagues énormes sur la côte sud de l'Angleterre, où la tempête, accompagnée de vents soufflant jusqu'à 128 km/h, est associée à une grande marée.
"Nous cherchons à obtenir de l'aide de la part de l'Union européenne"
Cette nouvelle tempête arrive seulement deux jours après que des vents dignes d'un ouragan ont dévasté le pays, faisant un mort et privant d'électricité quelque 56 000 foyers.
Pour faire face à ces intempéries hors normes, le Premier ministre David Cameron a demandé jeudi l'aide financière de l'UE. "Nous cherchons à obtenir de l'aide de la part de l'Union européenne", a déclaré David Cameron. "L'argent que je cherche à obtenir pour les agriculteurs britanniques vient du budget de l'UE", a encore précisé le Premier ministre, qui s'est engagé en janvier 2013 à organiser d'ici 2017 - s'il est réélu - un référendum sur une sortie de son pays de l'Union................http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_une-nouvelle-tempete-approche-la-grande-bretagne?id=8200481
14/2/14