More rain forecast for flood hit Cumbria

Nov 22 2009 Sunday Sun

Advice offered by those who’ve been here before

THE flooding in Cumbria brought back unhappy memories for people in Morpeth and Carlisle, who have both experienced similar devastation.

Hundreds were forced out of their homes in Morpeth last September, when the River Wansbeck burst its banks, and similar scenes had unfolded three years earlier in Carlisle.

Robin Cooper from charity group Morpeth Lions – who were instrumental in the Morpeth clean-up – said the residents of Cockermouth were “in for a tough time” but stressed “there are lots of people who are prepared to help and you only have to ask”.

He added: “All of our thoughts are with them.

“It’s certainly brought back memories . . . it’s a heck of a sense of loss because there’s nothing you can do.

“Things people have worked for years, like the print museum and toy museum in Cockermouth, have good things that are irreplaceable.”

Morpeth Lions have emailed contacts in Cockermouth and Keswick to see what support they can offer.

Mr Cooper, whose daughter lives in Cockermouth, said: “We hope to pass on some of the ideas that came out of our floods, such as the rapid setting-up of the resources for cleaning materials. Also, the furniture store.

“The first thing after the Morpeth floods was bringing together all the organisations in the town to a meeting to say who’s going to do what. That really works.”

Last night, a team of volunteers with the International Rescue Corps, IRC, were on their way home having spent three days helping emergency services to rescue people from flood-hit homes.

And IRC worker Julie Ryan, of Malton, North Yorkshire, said it had been the hardest flood mission they had ever taken part in.

She revealed: “It was worse than the floods in Mor- peth, and even the flood missions we joined in Nicaragua and Mozambique . . . the sheer volume, speed and height of the water made it very, very difficult and challenging.

“We rescued around 60 people and had to help them out of their first-floor bedroom windows because the water was so high.

“Many took their pets too . . . one family handed us a cat in a basket, before three dogs bounded into the boat, too!

“On the first night, some residents said they just wanted to hunker down and stay at home.

“But the flood waters didn’t recede as quickly as we expected, so we made return trips on Friday to rescue them.”

Specialist RSPCA rescue teams also deployed to affected areas, rescuing a flock of 200 stranded sheep in a flooded field in Workington, six cattle and 20 sheep trapped in rising waters around Cockermouth, and eight cats from homes in Cockermouth.

The animal charity’s chief inspector, Tim Wass, said: “More than 60 specially-trained staff members have been working shoulder-to-shoulder with emergency services since the flooding began.”

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