[News] from [guardian.co.uk]
[Environment > Flooding]
Body found in Cumbria flood search for missing policeman
> Missing police officer named as Bill Barker
> Hundreds evacuated as riverbanks burst
Adam Gabbatt, Helen Carter, Caroline Davies and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 November 2009 13.41 GMT Article history
The body of a man, reportedly in police uniform, has been found in the search for PC Bill Barker, police said.
Barker, 45, went missing this morning after a bridge in Workington collapsed amid what the local MP described as the kind of flooding seen only "once every 1,000 years".
Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: "I'm very sad to have to report we've recovered a body on the beach of an individual. That has not been identified.
"Our thoughts go out to PC Barker and his family. PC Barker had been serving in Cumbria Police for 25 years. I've heard nothing but good reports about him today. He was a family man with four children."
A police spokeswoman added: "It is reported that the man is wearing police uniform and officers are at the scene."
A major rescue operation is under way in Cumbria after severe flooding caused the evacuation of hundreds of people.
More than 200 people were forced to leave their homes in Cockermouth overnight, with 50 evacuated by RAF helicopters after flooding cut off the town centre. Armed forces were called in to help emergency services cope with the impact of what the Environment Agency said was record rainfall.
Barker went missing when Northside bridge, on one of the main routes into Workington, collapsed at about 4.40am. He had been directing traffic.
It is one of two bridges to have collapsed in the town, where conditions are described as "extremely dangerous" after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks.
Graham said Barker worked as a roads policing officer in Workington.
"He was directing motorists off the bridge, saving lives, when the tragic incident occurred. He is a valued colleague and friend of many officers and staff within the constabulary – and to those in west Cumbria where he lives and serves.
"This is an extremely difficult time for the officer's colleagues, who are still committed to supporting the community and dealing with the flood situation."
A Workington lifeboat spokeswoman said:
"Workington RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 6.10am to search at the mouth of the river Derwent and along the coast to the north of the town. Around 10 members of the RNLI lifeboat crew also joined other emergency services in a shore search for the missing officer."
Police said all but 10 properties in Cockermouth had been searched with no further casualties found. Police and armed forces were trying to reach the remaining buildings.
Air force helicopters, mountain rescue teams and fire crews were summoned to rescue those trapped by rising waters in the main street and town square.
The Environment Agency said Cockermouth and Keswick had been hit the hardest as record rainfall overwhelmed flood defences. The agency's gauging station at Seathwaite farm, Borrowdale, recorded 314.4mm over 24 hours until 12.45am.
"We have seen unprecedented rainfall, with what we believe is a record amount for a 24-hour period in England," said the agency chairman, Lord Smith. "Towns and villages across Cumbria have been evacuated with floodwater driven by heavy rainfall, saturated ground and swollen rivers."
Workington MP Tony Cunningham said the flooding was "of biblical proportions" and on a scale seen "once every 1,000 years".
He told Sky News: "The scale and the force of the devastation in Cockermouth is huge.
"I went down to the bridge last night and I've never seen the river Derwent as wide as it was. The force of the river was absolutely incredible. This is a stone bridge; to wash away a bridge of that size and dimension is incredible."
The Ministry of Defence said soldiers were helping people trapped in their homes.
Emergency 999 calls made from some flood-hit areas were not getting through, the police said. People in Workington, Cleator Moor and Harrington were advised to call 0845 33 00 247 to reach all emergency services. Police have opened a casualty bureau to deal with concerned members of the public seeking news of friends and relatives. People are advised to call 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010.
Earlier, Gordon Brown said he had spoken to the Cumbria chief constable, Craig Mackey, to assure him any help needed would be provided.
"Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by these floods and our thanks go out to the emergency services who continue in their extraordinary efforts to help the people affected," the prime minister said.
The environment secretary, Hilary Benn, who travelled to Cockermouth to assess the flooding, said defences built after the 2005 floods that were designed to withstand a "one in 100 years flood" were unable to cope with the volume of water.
"What we dealt with last night was probably more like one-in-1,000 so even the very best defences, if you have such quantities of rain in such a short space of time, can be over-topped," Benn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
More than 1,000 homes in the area were without electricity, with a further 349 homes affected in nearby Keswick.
Trees were floating down the main shopping street in Cockermouth. John Carlin, the owner of the Allerdale Court hotel in the town centre, said the amount of rainfall to hit the area was staggering.
"I have lived here for 15 years and have never seen anything like it," he said. "At two o'clock it was raining heavily but there was nothing here but now there is four feet of water outside my front door. The amount of rain has been staggering.
"It's desperate. The town centre is completely flooded. The only people out there at the moment are the emergency services. The water is up to the waists of the firefighters."
The Met Office said the village of Seathwaite in Cumbria recorded 173mm (6.8in) of rain in 24 hours. Flooding was reported in north-west Wales and in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
The rain was accompanied by severe gales, with gusts of 65mph to 75mph in western coastal areas and up to 95mph over the mountains.
The agency said hundreds of homes in Cockermouth, Kendal and Keswick were flooded as the rivers Cocker, Greta and Derwent overflowed and levels rose 300mm in less than an hour.
Keswick's mayor, Andrew Lysser, said: "It is all hands to the pump, really. The fear is if it stretches out."
The village of Shap was deluged by 38mm of rain in 12 hours and 21 schools were closed yesterday.
Forecasters warned of further bad weather to come in northern England, north-west Wales and western Scotland, with winds in parts of western England and Wales gusting up to 70mph.
The agency had four severe flood warnings, 27 flood warnings and 51 less serious flood watches in place for England and Wales.
[Environment > Flooding]
Body found in Cumbria flood search for missing policeman
> Missing police officer named as Bill Barker
> Hundreds evacuated as riverbanks burst
Adam Gabbatt, Helen Carter, Caroline Davies and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 November 2009 13.41 GMT Article history
The body of a man, reportedly in police uniform, has been found in the search for PC Bill Barker, police said.
Barker, 45, went missing this morning after a bridge in Workington collapsed amid what the local MP described as the kind of flooding seen only "once every 1,000 years".
Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: "I'm very sad to have to report we've recovered a body on the beach of an individual. That has not been identified.
"Our thoughts go out to PC Barker and his family. PC Barker had been serving in Cumbria Police for 25 years. I've heard nothing but good reports about him today. He was a family man with four children."
A police spokeswoman added: "It is reported that the man is wearing police uniform and officers are at the scene."
A major rescue operation is under way in Cumbria after severe flooding caused the evacuation of hundreds of people.
More than 200 people were forced to leave their homes in Cockermouth overnight, with 50 evacuated by RAF helicopters after flooding cut off the town centre. Armed forces were called in to help emergency services cope with the impact of what the Environment Agency said was record rainfall.
Barker went missing when Northside bridge, on one of the main routes into Workington, collapsed at about 4.40am. He had been directing traffic.
It is one of two bridges to have collapsed in the town, where conditions are described as "extremely dangerous" after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks.
Graham said Barker worked as a roads policing officer in Workington.
"He was directing motorists off the bridge, saving lives, when the tragic incident occurred. He is a valued colleague and friend of many officers and staff within the constabulary – and to those in west Cumbria where he lives and serves.
"This is an extremely difficult time for the officer's colleagues, who are still committed to supporting the community and dealing with the flood situation."
A Workington lifeboat spokeswoman said:
"Workington RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 6.10am to search at the mouth of the river Derwent and along the coast to the north of the town. Around 10 members of the RNLI lifeboat crew also joined other emergency services in a shore search for the missing officer."
Police said all but 10 properties in Cockermouth had been searched with no further casualties found. Police and armed forces were trying to reach the remaining buildings.
Air force helicopters, mountain rescue teams and fire crews were summoned to rescue those trapped by rising waters in the main street and town square.
The Environment Agency said Cockermouth and Keswick had been hit the hardest as record rainfall overwhelmed flood defences. The agency's gauging station at Seathwaite farm, Borrowdale, recorded 314.4mm over 24 hours until 12.45am.
"We have seen unprecedented rainfall, with what we believe is a record amount for a 24-hour period in England," said the agency chairman, Lord Smith. "Towns and villages across Cumbria have been evacuated with floodwater driven by heavy rainfall, saturated ground and swollen rivers."
Workington MP Tony Cunningham said the flooding was "of biblical proportions" and on a scale seen "once every 1,000 years".
He told Sky News: "The scale and the force of the devastation in Cockermouth is huge.
"I went down to the bridge last night and I've never seen the river Derwent as wide as it was. The force of the river was absolutely incredible. This is a stone bridge; to wash away a bridge of that size and dimension is incredible."
The Ministry of Defence said soldiers were helping people trapped in their homes.
Emergency 999 calls made from some flood-hit areas were not getting through, the police said. People in Workington, Cleator Moor and Harrington were advised to call 0845 33 00 247 to reach all emergency services. Police have opened a casualty bureau to deal with concerned members of the public seeking news of friends and relatives. People are advised to call 0800 056 0944 or 0207 158 0010.
Earlier, Gordon Brown said he had spoken to the Cumbria chief constable, Craig Mackey, to assure him any help needed would be provided.
"Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by these floods and our thanks go out to the emergency services who continue in their extraordinary efforts to help the people affected," the prime minister said.
The environment secretary, Hilary Benn, who travelled to Cockermouth to assess the flooding, said defences built after the 2005 floods that were designed to withstand a "one in 100 years flood" were unable to cope with the volume of water.
"What we dealt with last night was probably more like one-in-1,000 so even the very best defences, if you have such quantities of rain in such a short space of time, can be over-topped," Benn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
More than 1,000 homes in the area were without electricity, with a further 349 homes affected in nearby Keswick.
Trees were floating down the main shopping street in Cockermouth. John Carlin, the owner of the Allerdale Court hotel in the town centre, said the amount of rainfall to hit the area was staggering.
"I have lived here for 15 years and have never seen anything like it," he said. "At two o'clock it was raining heavily but there was nothing here but now there is four feet of water outside my front door. The amount of rain has been staggering.
"It's desperate. The town centre is completely flooded. The only people out there at the moment are the emergency services. The water is up to the waists of the firefighters."
The Met Office said the village of Seathwaite in Cumbria recorded 173mm (6.8in) of rain in 24 hours. Flooding was reported in north-west Wales and in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
The rain was accompanied by severe gales, with gusts of 65mph to 75mph in western coastal areas and up to 95mph over the mountains.
The agency said hundreds of homes in Cockermouth, Kendal and Keswick were flooded as the rivers Cocker, Greta and Derwent overflowed and levels rose 300mm in less than an hour.
Keswick's mayor, Andrew Lysser, said: "It is all hands to the pump, really. The fear is if it stretches out."
The village of Shap was deluged by 38mm of rain in 12 hours and 21 schools were closed yesterday.
Forecasters warned of further bad weather to come in northern England, north-west Wales and western Scotland, with winds in parts of western England and Wales gusting up to 70mph.
The agency had four severe flood warnings, 27 flood warnings and 51 less serious flood watches in place for England and Wales.
※コメント投稿者のブログIDはブログ作成者のみに通知されます