Army gears up to rescue more victims of flood
THE Army was last night on stand-by for action in the Battle of the Floods.
As waterlogged towns and villages braced themselves for further deluges, units prepared for the big rescue.
The Ministry of Defence said Territorial Army forces would join regulars for emergency operations in the worst-hit areas.
Units across South Yorkshire, the Midlands and Wales are expecting the call after forecasts that the worst is yet to come.
An MoD spokesman said: “We have the TA prepared and also the 1st Battalion of Rifles based at Catterick on standby.”
Emergency civilian rescue crews are on alert and mass evacuation plans are in place because of severe weather warnings for the rest of this week.
A rapid-response lifeboat team has been drafted into South Yorkshire, and rest centres are also being equipped.
Huge areas have been defenceless in the rains. Those running the Environment Agency clearly lack the experience and expertise to keep our homes protected
Forecasters said more devastating floods were certain, with heavy rain threatening to engulf the country again.
In the South Yorkshire areas worst hit by last week’s torrential downpours, thousands of people were told to gather essential items and secure their homes following callous looting.
Thieves have ransacked abandoned homes, forcing villagers to form vigilante patrols to stop further robberies. Flood victims were also told to beware of cowboy builders and workmen offering same-day work on the cheap.
Civil authorities yesterday began preparing sandbags and water pumps as the Environment Agency issued 22 “high risk” flood warnings for the North-east and East Anglia.
Eight people have died during the floods and a body found floating in a Nottingham river may also be a victim of the downpour.
A woman’s body was pulled from the River Severn near Ironbridge, Shropshire, yesterday.
Forecasters confirmed that last month was the wettest June on record and predicted over 50mm of rain in the next two days.
Homes hit by floods have halved in value and a quarter of householders are feared to have failed to take out flood insurance.
Cost of the damage is expected to top £1billion, with 27,000 homes and 5,000 businesses hit.
Eighty per cent of homes in the worst-hit area, Toll Bar, near Doncaster, were still deep in water yesterday. Local Geoff Fell, 58, said: “I’ve been told my house has lost 50 per cent of its value.”
Several rivers in the South-east are at breaking point but, according to reports, the Government is to slash funding for the flood defence programme.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Huge areas have been defenceless in the rains. Those running the Environment Agency clearly lack the experience and expertise to keep our homes protected.”
