The ongoing effects of Storm Henk have left Britain reeling, with areas battered by the severe weather being warned to prepare for yet another day of heavy rain and potential flooding on Thursday. The Met Office has issued a yellow severe warning for a significant part of southern Britain, stretching from Cornwall to East Anglia, including London, indicating that there is a possibility of another 50mm of rain falling on already saturated ground. Furthermore, there is also a chance of hail and thunder.
Residents of affected areas have already been evacuated from their homes or rescued from vehicles due to the storm’s powerful winds, exceeding 90mph in some areas, and heavy rain. The Red Cross has put its emergency response teams on standby to assist those in need.
Storm Henk has resulted in the loss of one life, a man in his 50s from the Bath area who was killed when a tree fell on his car in Gloucestershire on Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening, over 700 flood warnings and alerts were in place in England and Wales, with one severe flood warning issued for the River Ritec in Tenby, south-west Wales, posing a danger to life.
UK FloodingAmong the many communities hit by flooding was Bottleacre Lane in Loughborough, Leicestershire, where dozens of homes have been breached or surrounded by floodwater, trapping some residents in their homes. Ivan Fletcher, whose ground floor was flooded, described the scene: “I woke up this morning to this. There was water everywhere, and it has got worse. There are bins everywhere, rubbish, the kids were panicking.”
In Northamptonshire, many people were evacuated from Billing Aquadrome caravan park, where firefighters used boats to rescue some residents. One resident, Robert Britchford, said, “I’m worried. We all are. This is the highest it has ever been. It’s the second time in three years that it has flooded. Now we have to find hotels. They won’t let us back on until this is all sorted, so it could be a month before we come back.”
The storm has also resulted in widespread travel disruption, with many roads and rail lines affected. Power outages have also been reported, with just under 2,400 homes without electricity as of 2pm on Wednesday. The River Mole burst its banks in Surrey, causing raw sewage to spill into the environment. Thames Water apologized for the incident and is working to clear the water using a temporary pump.
The new band of rain could bring more travel disruption as operators continue to work on restoring damaged roads and rail lines. The Met Office predicts it will become drier and colder at the weekend, with the UK Health Security Agency issuing a cold weather alert for the whole of England from Saturday, warning of below-average temperatures, especially overnight, and more overnight frost.