[Vision2020] Britain Sees Record Rain, 'Biblical' Flooding: 12+ Inches/24 Hours

[Ted Moffett]

The economic externalities of anthropogenic warming?
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34058376/ns/weather/
 Britain sees record rain, 'biblical' flooding 200 rescued in one town, two
bridges collapse; Irish castle, hotel swamped

COCKERMOUTH, England - Military helicopters winched dozens of people to
safety and emergency workers in inflatable boats rescued scores more on
Friday following the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in Britain. The
flooding swamped northern England's picturesque Lake District, where a
police officer died when a bridge he was on was swept away by surging
waters.

British soldiers conducted house-to-house searches for those trapped by
floods as deep as 8 feet. Troops also dropped down on lines from Air Force
helicopters, breaking through rooftops to pluck people to safety.

Emergency services said more than 200 people were rescued in the hardest-hit
town, Cockermouth and about 1,000 homes were flooded.

More heavy rain was forecast for Saturday. Officials issued four severe
flood warnings — meaning extreme danger to life and property — in northwest
England, and six in Scotland.

In a message to local officials, Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply
concerned and saddened by the dreadful flooding across Britain." British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Barker "was a very heroic, very brave man."


The heavy rain and gales also brought widespread flooding to Ireland, as
more than 3 feet of water shut down the center of the country's
second-largest city, Cork, and more than a dozen towns and villages.

*Picturesque town 'devastated'*
Cockermouth, a market town 330 miles northwest of London, lies at the
junction of the Cocker and Derwent rivers and is known for being the
birthplace of poet William Wordsworth.

"It has devastated the town," said Michael Dunn, manager of the Bitter End
pub. "There is a lot of properties in Main Street, private shops, that have
had their windows smashed in by the force of the water and by debris in the
water. There were cars floating down the street. It will be a long time
before Cockermouth recovers from this."

Officials were concerned about residents of 10 properties in Cockermouth
they had been unable to reach. Media reports said some trapped people had
been forced to smash through their roofs to escape.

The rain stopped and floodwaters began to ease Friday, giving rescuers a
chance to reach trapped people by boat. Debris swirled around the boats as
they pulled people to safety.

Tony Walker of Cockermouth told BBC radio he was on the top floor of his
house and the water on the ground floor was chest-high.

"I've had better mornings," Walker said. "I've been here all night and I've
run out of water now, so I'm thinking of making a break for it, really. The
water is still pretty deep, it's going down, but at this rate it's going to
be hours before it's clear."

Forecasters said the rainfall was unprecedented. Britain's Meteorological
Office said a record 12.3 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in the area — the
heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the U.K.

Local House of Commons lawmaker Tony Cunningham said the flood was "of
biblical proportions," adding that "the scale and the force of the
devastation in Cockermouth is huge."

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the BBC that flood defenses were
meant to withstand a one-in-100-years flood — but could not cope with the
volume of water.

"What we dealt with last night was probably more like one-in-a-1,000, so
even the very best defenses, if you have such quantities of rain in such a
short space of time, can be over-topped," Benn said.

Britain's Meteorological Office added that the amount of rain expected for
all of November had fallen in one day.

*Two bridges collapse
*Police urged people not to travel, as many roads were impassible. Two
bridges collapsed in the town of Workington, including a main one over the
River Derwent.

Cumbria Police said Constable Bill Barker died after he was knocked into the
water when the structure gave way.

Barker, 44, a father-of-four who was due to celebrate his birthday Saturday,
had been directing motorists away from the bridge when it caved in.

"This is a stone bridge — to wash away a bridge of that size and dimension
is incredible," said lawmaker Tony Cunningham.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown that he had spoken to Cumbria Chief Constable
Craig Mackey to offer help.

"Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by these floods,"
Brown said.

Britain has been hit by severe flooding in recent years, raising questions
about the impact of global warming.

Last year the country saw its wettest summer since records began in 1914.
Floods in 2007 affected 55,000 homes and businesses and left an insurance
bill of around $5 billion.

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said the latest floods
appeared less destructive but it would take several days to make a reliable
estimate.
CONTINUED : Irish castle, hotel
swamped<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34058376/ns/weather/page/2/>

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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