27th January, 2016
The Environment Agency in a statement on Wednesday in London warned communities in parts of north and southwest of England to be prepared for flooding due to heavy rain and high tides.
It said further in a statement that rain was expected in these areas on Wednesday, while more rain would hit north England on Friday and Saturday.
It said the storms which battered the United States had migrated to Britain, bringing heavy rain and gusts and leaving more than 1,100 homes in Wales suffering outages. The agency said they had deployed temporary defences and pumps across the country, while in Cumbria, one of the worst-hit counties by previous deluges, preparation had been done across a valley to remove gravel and reduce flood risk.
“Agency rescue teams are on the ground in other counties in Cumbria and Yorkshire.
“In Wales, more than 1,100 homes have been hit by power cuts after gales and downpours this morning.
“700 properties in southwest Wales have had power restored,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Metrological office has issued yellow warnings for rain and more than 100 flood warnings and alerts are in place. “We are now preparing for further flooding as rain is expected to fall on ground left saturated after the wettest month on record.
Neil Davies, National Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, warned that there would be high tides on the coast of Cumbria and Lancashire. He said the tides would be so heavy and expected to cause large waves and spray.
Davies, therefore, warned that people should take care near the coastal paths and promenades.