As the rain continues to pour, we see how people have been affected by the floods. Readers have been sending in their images of the flooding, to view the images, see the gallery to the right hand side of this page.
The flooding is affecting many people, but one Somerset resident in particular has had a long-awaited rescue.
A lady who had been stranded in her flooded Somerset home for 13 days was rescued by a boat crew from Burnham-on-Sea on Sunday. BARB Search & Rescue’s inshore rescue boat was in North Curry, near Taunton, carrying out flood relief training when its crew checked on the welfare of several residents.
Homeowner Anne-Marie Simpson asked to be evacuated with her dog, Elvis, a Yorkshire terrier, due to the rising flood waters around her property. The boat crew fitted the lady with a lifejacket and a survival suit before helping her onto the boat. She was then safely taken half a mile across the flooded fields to dry land. She will be staying with friends.
She said: “I am very grateful to the crew for rescuing us. I had been in the house for 13 days and was keen to get away. The scale of the flooding has taken us by surprise.”
BARB Operations Manager Mike Lowe said: “We were very happy to help this lady and her dog, who had been stuck since before Christmas. It was so gratifying to see the look of relief on Anne-Marie’s face when we got her back onto dry land.”
BARB is one of several organisations in the region helping with flood relief work as part of the Somerset Civil Contingencies Unit. BARB, a registered charity, is run entirely by volunteers and has helped and rescued more than 250 people over the past 21 years.
More details about to help BARB and get involved with fundraising and as a crewmember are available at burnham-on-sea.com/barb
