Floods devastate Britain’s Lake District, parts of Ireland
By The Associated Press
This article was published November 20, 2009 at 11:31 a.m.
PHOTO BY AP / CHRIS CLARK
Engineers survey the scene after a bridge over the River Derwent collapsed suddenly after heavy rainfall and flooding in Workington, England.
COCKERMOUTH, England — Military helicopters winched dozens of people to safety and emergency workers in inflatable boats rescued scores more as floods on Friday swamped northern England’s picturesque Lake District. One police officer died after a bridge was swept away by the 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. At least 960 homes were flooded after a day of unprecedented rain, police in the northern region of Cumbria said.
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.
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