Huge tidal surges and monster waves towering to 30ft have battered the south-west and Wales, flooding huge areas, smashing roads and causing transport chaos.
But experts say more torrential rain, gale-force winds and the highest tide expected in all of 2014 means worse is to come tonight with this evening’s high tides.
There are currently 21 severe flood warnings in place - the highest level - because the Environment Agency says there is a threat to life and property, with people being warned to stay away from the coast.
Areas are already under water but South Wales and North Devon are set to be worst hit tonight with 10.4m high tides hitting Porthcawl and 9.7m hitting Ilfracombe at around 7.30pm.
And as the low pressure hits Britain tonight wave forecasters have warned 40 to 50ft swells could hit Ireland and the south-west of England and Wales - this combined with the high tides could be disastrous for coastal towns and villages.
TUNAOMBA BOFYA HAPA NA ULIKE PAGE YETU KWA HABARI NYINGI ZA KILA SIKU,(USIPITWEEEEEEEE)
Ripped up: The road in Amroth, West Wales has
disintegrated because of the force of the sea today driven by high tides
and strong winds
'Threat to life': High seas batter the Cobb at
Lyme Regis today as thousands have been urged to pack their bags or even
evacuate because of the severe flooding threat
Battering: A wave breaks over the seafront at
dawn in West Bay during stormy weather as 21 of the highest storm and
flood warnings have been issued
Under water: The small town of Salcombe in south
Devon was under water this morning as the high tide breached the sea
defences there and flooded its narrow streets
Picture of Britain: After more than a month of
terrible weather, large swathes of the country face serious flood
threats with the majority in central and western England today
Ed Temperley, editor of wave and surf forecasting website MagicSeaweed.com, said: 'These high spring tides will occur twice a day in the South West with the morning tide being slightly larger than the evening.
'The tidal range is by annual standards no means unusual. It is the combination of wind and swell effectively layering water atop the the full tide - commonly known as a storm surge - which is causing many of these flooding issues in coastal areas.
'We are expecting a second significant system, currently forecasting even larger swell for Monday next week, in excess of 50ft'.
Waves of 30ft have been consistently hitting the coast since the pre-Christmas storms. The waves are pushed in from the South Atlantic and crash straight into the West Country off the Atlantic Ocean.
The atrocious weather follows four drownings, widespread power cuts and severe flooding that wrecked Christmas for tens of thousands of families and the Government's COBRA committee - only held at times of national emergency - will meet this morning to discuss how to react.
Residents of
low-lying areas have been warned to pack their bags because the violent
Atlantic storm is expected to overwhelm large parts of the nation’s battered
flood defences, with similar sized tides also expected this evening.
Homes in Newport, South Wales, were evacuated this morning as
the region faces its highest tide for 17 years.
High waves hit Penzance at just before 6am,
and spread along the coasts of southern England, Wales and the
north-west, reaching there at just after midday.
Transport chaos: A train passes through the
coast at Saltcoats in Scotland, as Britain is braced for the worst as a
combination of high tides, heavy rains and strong winds are expected to
bring yet more severe flooding to parts of the country in the nest 24
hours
Trying to dodge the water: Oscar Francis, left,
and his brother Toby Francis being hit by waves on Clevedon seafront in
North Somerset
Raw power: Huge waves explode over the sea wall and light house at Porthcawl, which could be even harder hit this evening
Miserable conditions: After a month of very poor
weather over the next three days Britain will suffer more torrential
rain whipped in by strong winds
'Due to the continuing extreme weather, I will be chairing another Cobra meeting today to ensure that everything that can be done to help affected areas is being done.
'With a number of severe flood warnings still in place I urge everyone to follow the advice from the Environment Agency and police and to take every precaution.'
Danger zones: The tidal surge hit at the most
westerly point of Cornwall at around 5.42am, but experts say the danger
of floods will continue for up to four hours after each high tide, with
the problems set to escalate tonight
'We had a range of ministers from right across government attending the meeting, who will be working very closely with local councils, power companies, utility and transport companies, making sure that all of those organisations are absolutely prepared for the bad weather that is coming.'
Areas especially at risk include the Devon and Cornwall coastline, Dorset, the Welsh coast and the Isles of Scilly, the Environment Agency said.
The Envornment Agency has issued 21 severe flood warnings for the Midlands and western areas, warning residents of danger to life. Some 437 less severe alerts were issued for other parts of the country as forecasters warned of winds of up to 60mph and days of rain.
Natural Resources Wales, the Welsh counterpart of the Environment Agency, said the tidal surge would be the highest to hit the coast since 1997.
An area of low pressure is expected to ‘suck’ up and raise the surface of the sea, which will then be blown by strong winds into the coastline.
The Thames Barrier was closed to protect London and police forces were poised to evacuate hundreds of homes.
In Scotland forecasters have warned of potential coastal flooding as more rain and high winds are set to hit the country. Heavy rain and gusts of up to 60mph could sweep across the country today, bringing further disruption after days of wet weather.
High tides and a storm surge have increased the risk of flooding in the Firth of Clyde, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
A tidal surge is expected around lunchtime, particularly around the Firth of Clyde, Solway Firth and Ayrshire, the Scottish Government said.
Sepa has issued a flood alert for west central Scotland, warning that high water during early afternoon will be 'exceptionally high' with large waves likely.
It has also issued eight flood alerts and 17 flood warnings for other parts of Scotland.
The Met Office has issued yellow 'be aware' warnings of heavy rains and strong winds for the Highlands and Western Isles, Strathclyde, Central, Tayside, Fife, south west Scotland and Lothian and Borders.
And in Northern Ireland, residents of East Belfast were told to pack their bags in anticipation of evacuations as high water and heavy rain is predicted for midday today, Saturday and Sunday.
In the South East, Yalding in Kent was deluged again overnight but not on the same scale as over Christmas, according to local reports.
Britain from space: NASA satellites show the
large storm system causing floods and high winds and tides in many
western areas of the British Isles today
Swell surge: This map shows how at midday on
Friday, left, large waves on a high tide are crashing into the UK, and
then the
swell at 9pm when many areas will be having their second high tide,
right. Below right, there is a moving image showing the flow of waves,
with the
higher coloured grey and pink - meaning they are around 45ft high
'We had people from the Environment Agency working closely with professional partners, the local authorities and the emergency services.
'It's going to be important for the next 24 to 48 hours that people remain vigilant. If we see the high ends of the rain that is forecast over the next 24 to 48 hours, we will see an increase in flood risk across the whole of the county.'
In the South East, 20 flood warnings and 90 flood alerts were in place at 8am. There were no severe flood warnings.
Sussex Police have warned of problems as more rain falls, adding to already swollen rivers.
Winds of up to 65mph along the coast, combined with high tides and low pressure, were likely to create storm surges, the force said.
The port of Dover in Kent was operating normally.
High risk areas include the densely-packed residential streets of Sydenham and Victoria Park in the east of the capital and around the docks.
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin said: 'We are particularly concerned around a number of areas, those areas are Victoria Park in Belfast, the Sydenham area of Belfast and around the docks area of Belfast.
'We are working as much as we can to try and prepare ourselves for potential flooding in those areas so during the course of today we have distributed many thousands of sand bags.'
The latest storm has heaped more midwinter misery on travellers today with road journeys and rail services disrupted.
Many major roads were flooded, while trains to and from Gatwick Airport in West Sussex were among those affected by storm-related problems.
Battered and broken: The stretch of sea wall below the Fistral Blu bar in Newquay has collapsed as it was deluged with water
Torn up: A council worker repairs damaged railings along the seafront following high tide at Amroth in west Wales
Problems: The West Wales coast is being badly
battered and this Amroth road is closed after it was showered with
stones dragged up by the storm
Trying to cope: A holiday cottage takes the full
force of the giant seas after windows were smashed and the ground floor
was swamped, washing furniture out to sea at Lee near Ilfracombe, North
Devon
Patrol: A special constable walks through the
high tide flood water that still remains on the seafront at Lynmouth in
North Devon
Protection: Sandbags are placed in front of a
property on the seafront at Lynmouth because of the severe floods this
morning and tonight
STORM SHOWERS SOUTH-WEST WITH SPROUT-SIZED HAILSTONES
Hailstones as big as sprouts caused skidpan chaos on the M5 in Devon and Somerset this morning with dozens of cars, lorries and motorbikes caught up in a series of smashes.
Luckily, drivers had slowed to a crawl because the hail reduced visibility to a few yards and rescue services reported there were only bumps bruises and shock.
A spokesman for the ambulance service said 'Following the hail storm just south of Cullompton there were cars skidding all over the motorway, both northbound and southbound.'
Emergency services raced to the scene of the chaos and collisions, which happened between junction 28 and 29.
The Highways Agency said the smashes had caused a big build-up of traffic in both directions and conditions have been made worse by huge 'lakes' of standing water on the motorway.
Meanwhile the region continues to be lashed by heavy rain and thunder.
A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire Police said: 'The Severn Bore has now gone through Elmore and Minsterworth with reports that the water has overtopped the defences in some parts.
'The tidal surge will follow and is due to reach Gloucester around 11am today. All agencies are asking people to stay away from the water.'
The A48 is closed between Oakle Street and Elton Corner, while Northway Lane is Tewkesbury is 'impassable' due to flooding, she added.
There are reports that Goose Lane is Rodley is also impassable.
Gloucestershire Highways area manager Jason Humm said: 'We've had a fair amount of rainfall on saturated ground so there has been some surface water on the highways and we would urge drivers to continue to take extra care travelling around the county.
'We've had additional gangs on overnight and into this morning and the workforce will prioritise any flooding issues that may arise.
'Rising river levels have caused some issues with roads locally and we are anticipating further issues at the A417 in Maisemore.
'Gangs are fully prepared to react immediately if needed and we would encourage people to use alternative routes.'
Rest centres for concerned residents have been opened in Tewkesbury and the Forest of Dean.
Southern and south west England, Wales and Scotland bore the brunt of the adverse weather, while travellers whose services were running normally had to contend with wind and rain on the way to work.
Electrical supply problems at South Croydon in south London meant delays of up to 40 minutes on trains between Gatwick Airport and East Croydon, while a signalling problem at Dorking in Surrey led to hold-ups between Dorking and Leatherhead.
Pre-Christmas flooding has meant that no trains are able to run on the Isle of Wight, with services not expected to start again until well into January.
Earlier problems have also led to buses replacing trains between Petersfield in Hampshire and Haslemere in Surrey, with rail services not expected to resume until Sunday.
The bad weather meant there were also no trains today between Guildford in Surrey and Ascot in Berkshire, while flooding meant services were unable to operate between Paignton and Newton Abbot in Devon or between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall.
In Wales, buses replaced trains between Pwllheli and Harlech and between Llanelli and Carmarthen where the line was blocked.
In southern Scotland, electrical supply problems between Carstairs and Lockerbie caused delays of up to 60 minutes, with Virgin's West Coast services among those affected.
Sections of a number of major roads were closed due to flooding. These included the A29 in Bognor Regis in West Sussex, the A30 in Windlesham in Surrey, the A438 at Letton in Herefordshire, and the A487 near Newgale in Pembrokeshire.
Escape: These pictures show the incredible
moment a family were swamped by huge waves in Cornwall. Taken yesterday,
they show a man and woman with two young children drenched in water
after being blasted by waves at Mullion Cove
First surge: Waves strike Coney Beach Pleasure
Park at high tide in Porthcawl this morning during a storm which will
see the highest tide to hit Wales' coast in a decade
Warning: Powerful winds and the highest tide
expected in all of 2014 has already hit South Wales, where homes have
been evacuated today
Dramatic: A hooded man looks out from the seafront West Bay during stormy weather in Dorset, England this morning
Carnage: A runner looks concerned as he stares at rocks thrown up by the strong waves and over the harbour wall at Porthcawl
Stormy: A cyclist gets soaked as sea spray is
blown towards the land off the Dorset coast today as yet another storm
hits Britain
Warning: Despite being warned to stay away from
the coast today, residents in Clevedon, North Somerset came to watch the
waves crash over the sea wall
Violent: Waves crash over Ardrossan harbour
lighthouse in Ardrossan , Scotland, as the British Isles suffers because
of more bad weather
DESPITE A MONTH OF SEVERE FLOODS EXPERTS FACE LAY-OFFS
Lay-offs at the Environment Agency will affect the organisation’s ability to cope with flooding, bosses said last night.
More than 550 staff who work in flood risk management could lose their jobs as part of restructuring to save money.
Paul Leinster, the agency’s chief executive, said maintenance work would be hit and new developments would have to be ‘resized’.
‘Flood risk maintenance will be impacted,’ he said.
‘And we’re looking at a proportionate reduction in the number of people in flood risk management.’ The planned staff losses come despite a funding increase from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
A spokesman for the agency downplayed the staffing cuts, adding: ‘Our budget for 2014-15 will be confirmed shortly.
‘However, we are likely to reduce staff numbers from the previous forecast of around 11,250 at the end of March 2014 to around 9,700 by October 2014 dependent on future funding.
‘We will then aim to keep numbers broadly at that level, through to March 2015, dependent of course on future funding.’
More than 550 staff who work in flood risk management could lose their jobs as part of restructuring to save money.
Paul Leinster, the agency’s chief executive, said maintenance work would be hit and new developments would have to be ‘resized’.
‘Flood risk maintenance will be impacted,’ he said.
‘And we’re looking at a proportionate reduction in the number of people in flood risk management.’ The planned staff losses come despite a funding increase from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
A spokesman for the agency downplayed the staffing cuts, adding: ‘Our budget for 2014-15 will be confirmed shortly.
‘However, we are likely to reduce staff numbers from the previous forecast of around 11,250 at the end of March 2014 to around 9,700 by October 2014 dependent on future funding.
‘We will then aim to keep numbers broadly at that level, through to March 2015, dependent of course on future funding.’
One lane was closed on the M25 near Chertsey in Surrey due to flooding.
Other sections of road that had to be shut after flooding included the A4 in Bristol, the A7 at Hawick in southern Scotland and the A29 at Pulborough in West Sussex.
Driving conditions on the A74 in Lanarkshire in Scotland were described as 'hazardous'.
A number of ferry services had to be axed, with others disrupted.
Cancelled services included Argyll Ferries crossings between Gourock and Dunoon and the P&O Irish Sea route between Cairnryan and Larne and between Troon and Larne.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were among carriers which experienced delays and cancellations to some transatlantic flights due to severe winter weather in the eastern USA.
BA said: We are operating a normal schedule from Heathrow today, both domestically and to the US.
We did experience some disruption to services to and from New York, Boston and Philadelphia yesterday and overnight, due to severe weather in the area.
'Our teams have been working extremely hard to help customers whose flights have been affected, offering alternative services or a full refund.'
The westbound carriageway of the A30 in Launceston, Cornwall, has been closed following a serious road accident this morning, police said.
Seaside towns and villages have been hit as spring tides overflowed into streets and homes.
A car has been swept into the sea at Portscatho after getting caught in a swollen stream. The driver managed to scramble to safety.
At Newquay, Fistral's beach bar has partly collapsed after sea defences were undermined by the pounding waves.
Floods shut roads in Fowey, Polzeath, Millbrook, Tresillian, Penzance and Looe, and in Saltash the water was lapping at the feet of the Brunel statue.
The Environment Agency is urging people to stay off the beaches and clear of the coasts, with fears that a deadly combination of 70mph winds and 20ft waves will add to the dangers of more high spring tides due over the next couple of days.
Floodplain: The River Severn near Westbury has
flooded fields after unusually high tides combined with a the Severn
Bore caused it to burst its banks
Homes at risk: The River Stour laps to the doors of homes at Iford Bridge Home Park in Bournemouth today
Saturated: The Stour in Dorset is barely passing
under the bridge here in Bournemouth as 500 areas of the UK are under
threat of flooding
Roads only just passable: Cars drive through flood water near the expensive Sandbanks district near Weymouth in Dorset
Mark Pilcher from the Environment Agency said 'We've got a big spring tide anyway, and that's coupled with this surge that is being pushed by the wind and the low pressure that will potentially compromise some of the coastal defences.
'People need to think about their location. Are they close to harbours? Are they in low lying parts of the coast? Are they in areas that they remember perhaps flooded in 2008 when we had a similar situation? And make preparations.
'Think about all the things you've had for Christmas, all your precious things get them upstairs. Think about how to look after yourself first and your property next.
'You've got to be safe. I know people like to go out and look at the drama of the waves but please please do not put yourself at risk.
'The wind will be strong the waves will be big and they will be very powerful. One mistake could be very, very serious. Please don't put yourself at risk.'
Braced: Lyme Regis has taken a severe battering
from heavy seas and high waves but its sea defences have held strong
under great pressure
UK-wide: Waves break over the esplanade in
Saltcoats, west Scotland as Britain's sea defences creak with a barrage
of wind and water
Crashing waves: A man and boy look on as waves break over Saltcoats before the pair then fled the waves and heavy spray
Picturesque: A dog walker watches the huge waves
roll in at Lynmouth during an early morning stroll along the Devon
village's beach
.jpg)
.jpeg)
No comments:
Post a Comment