A display of children’s play equipment submerged in flood waters, surrounding Tewkesbury Abbey, where flood guards are set up with more wet weather expected in the coming days, in Tewkesbury, England, Wednesday December 23, 2020 (Ben Birchall / PA via AP)
TO Newsroom
UPDATE 11:10 a.m.PT – Sunday, December 27, 2020
Hundreds of Bedfordshire residents have evacuated their homes after massive flooding caused by ‘Storm Bella’.
According to reports this weekend, river levels are ‘extremely high’, with warnings of flooding in the region along the ‘Great River Ouse’, some 105 miles north of London.
Residents woke up to find parks, roads and in some cases – their homes – submerged by ‘Storm Bella’s’ heavy rains. The inundation was five feet deep in some places.
Earlier today @Fire brigade were in the process of supporting residents in Harrold to evacuate from their homes due to flooding. Check for the latest information on the Bedfordshire floods; https://t.co/D4abd1tHlo pic.twitter.com/dOV9cZRn0g
– Beds Fire and Rescue (@BedsFire) December 25, 2020
“I don’t think I’ve seen it for over 20 years, I’d say,” said one local. “It’s also amazingly fast, so you wouldn’t want to fall into it, I don’t think.”
Firefighters in boats spent Christmas Day rescuing residents. They have saved dozens of people from their homes, businesses and stuck cars. Emergency shelters were available for about 500 people, some of whom even showed signs of hypothermia.
“It has not exactly been the best year,” said another resident. “And it’s just another thing to add to 2020 things that aren’t right.”
The UK Environment Agency has warned “floods are imminent” as ‘Storm Bella’ is expected to hit the UK throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, the region is also under ‘Tier Four’ coronavirus restrictions, preventing households from mingling. However, authorities said the flood warnings ignore the current limitations of the coronavirus. Officials also noted that people are allowed to move to other households to stay safe.
Residents are strongly encouraged to turn off water, gas and electricity before evacuating to avoid additional problems.