Rising rivers threaten more flood misery for England
By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
February 15, 2014 -- Updated 1839 GMT (0239 HKT)
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Severe flood warnings are in place along the Thames Valley to the west of London, as well as in southwest and central England.
The Environment Agency warned that flood risk will continue for at least another week.
An elderly passenger died
Friday aboard the British-based cruise ship MS Marco Polo after it was
hit by a "freak wave during adverse sea conditions," according to the
ship's owner, Cruise & Maritime Voyages.
Princes pitch in on flood relief efforts
The rogue wave struck as
the ship made its way into the English Channel en route from the Azores
to its home port in Tilbury, southeast England, it said.
As high winds whipped
southern England on Friday night, a 49-year-old woman was killed when
the front of a building collapsed onto her vehicle in central London,
police said. Two other passengers in the car were injured. Police said
the collapse happened during bad weather, but they were unable to say if
it was directly related.
On Saturday, amid
increasing questions about the government response, Prime Minister David
Cameron visited Chertsey, Surrey and thanked the military for its help
during the crisis.
The Environment Agency
reported that 16 severe flood warnings remained in place Saturday,
meaning there is a danger to life, as well as 151 lower-level flood
warnings in different parts of the country.
Thames Barrier, which is
deployed to prevent the tidal river now flooding central London with
devastating consequences, was shut for a record 16th consecutive time to
help reduce flood risk along the Thames, according to the Environment
Agency.
The emergency will
continue over the coming days for the Somerset Levels and Moors, where
river levels continue to rise, posing a further threat to those already
affected by recent flooding, the agency said.
"Despite an improving
forecast the risk of flooding will continue for many communities in
southern parts of England over the next few days," Paul Leinster, the
Environment Agency's chief executive, said in a statement.
More rain is forecast over the weekend, pushing river levels ever higher.
Homes sandbagged
After the wettest January in England in 2½ centuries, February has so far brought little relief.
The River Thames has
reached its highest levels for over 60 years in some places, bringing
flood misery to thousands of people living in the Thames Valley.
The towns of Maidenhead
and Windsor, where the queen has a castle, and communities in the
counties of Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Reading are all at
risk from the Thames.
Residents desperate to hold back the rising waters have sandbagged entrances to their homes and businesses.
Princes William and
Harry lent their help to the flood defense effort Friday morning, as
they joined soldiers who hefted sandbags in the village of Datchet in
Berkshire.
There is also a risk of
flooding on the River Severn in Gloucester and on the Somerset Levels,
in southwest England. Some communities on the Somerset Levels have been
inundated for weeks.
As well as high river levels, saturated ground from weeks of heavy rain mean that there is nowhere for water to go.
Severe gales, large
waves and high sea levels were expected to bring a high risk of coastal
flooding to parts of the Dorset coast on Saturday, the Environment
Agency said.
Other areas along the south coast of England will also be battered by extreme weather.
Nearly 6,000 properties
have been flooded since the beginning of December, more than 1,000 of
them in the wealthy areas in the Thames Valley. Leinster said more than
1.3 million properties have been protected since the start of December
through the Environment Agency and use of the Thames Barrier.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin, Talia Kayali, Chelsea J. Carter, Brian Walker, Ray Sanchez and Bharati Naik contributed to this report.
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