Floods devastate UK Lake District; much of Ireland
By The Associated Press
This article was published November 20, 2009 at 8:33 a.m.
PHOTO BY AP / SCOTT HEPPELL
A row of houses are seen engulfed by floodwaters after a heavy rain caused localised flooding in Cockermouth, Cumbria, England, Friday.
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 was missing and feared dead after a bridge was swept away.
British soldiers conducted house-to-house searches for those trapped by floods as deep as 8 feet (2.5 meters). 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 (1 meter) of water shut down the center of the country’s second-largest city, Cork, and more than a dozen towns and villages.
The Irish army deployed more than 100 soldiers, two dozen trucks and several flat-bottomed boats to evacuate people trapped by waist-deep floodwaters in cars and homes.
The floods caused transport chaos along Ireland’s western coast, with many major roads blocked and train services canceled.
The River Suck burst its banks in County Leitrim near the Northern Ireland border, flooding the town of Ballinasloe and cutting off major roads to Ireland’s northwest. About 40 families had to be evacuated by boat.
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