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Fighting the floods in Cockermouth

By Mark Cox
November 20, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Flood-UK-190 Like many of you, I woke up this morning to the pitter-patter of rainfall on my window. However, I then put my tootsies onto a plush, dry rug and basked for a moment in the heat of the warm radiators. Then I put the morning news on.

It’s hard to even imagine what sort of a nightmare the residents of Cockermouth lived through last night. The small Cumbrian town was devastated by severe flooding so high and fast that the Environment Agency called it ‘unprecedented’. At one point, the main street was eight foot deep in fast-flowing water sweeping all sorts of debris along with it. It must have been terrifying, as well as very destructive.

The one blessing is that weather forecasters gave plenty of notice so people were prepared for the emergency. And that also meant the Red Cross’ swift water rescue team – based in Northern Scotland – had time to get down to the area before the worst of the water hit.

All through last night, our specially trained Red Cross volunteers were out in two boats – working in relays to ensure 24-hour cover – rescuing people who had been stranded in their homes. The news bulletins have been full of stories concerning weak and vulnerable people caught up in the flood, so I’m glad that our experienced people were in the thick of it.

I know most of the Red Cross rescue team (I even worked with them during the Gloucestershire floods a couple of years ago) and they’re as committed a bunch of people as you could hope to meet.

I suspect that, even as I type, they’ll be chugging up the main street of Cockermouth, probably dirty, wet and exhausted after a long night’s work – but determined to carry on until every last person in the town is safe and accounted for. It’s enough to make you feel ‘umble.

Comments (17) »

Tags: disaster, Emergencies, emergency response, floods, volunteer

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Emergencies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

http://redcross.org.uk/ Katrina Crew

Hi Mark. I, too, was honoured to work with our swift water rescue team during the 2007 Gloucester floods and there’s one memory that really sticks with me.

Before they allowed me to get into the boat, they had me walk through a few inches of water that was rushing over a road so I could get a sense of how dangerous it was. I was amazed. If I hadn’t had a volunteer on either side of me holding my arms, I think I would’ve been swept off my feet. The current was much, much stronger than it looked.

Please be careful out there, people. Don’t underestimate floodwaters.
http://redcross.org.uk Katrina Crew

Hi Mark. I, too, was honoured to work with our swift water rescue team during the 2007 Gloucester floods and there’s one memory that really sticks with me.

Before they allowed me to get into the boat, they had me walk through a few inches of water that was rushing over a road so I could get a sense of how dangerous it was. I was amazed. If I hadn’t had a volunteer on either side of me holding my arms, I think I would’ve been swept off my feet. The current was much, much stronger than it looked.

Please be careful out there, people. Don’t underestimate floodwaters.
http://www.yorks-lincs4x4response.org.uk/ Ian Clark

Need more 4×4s and deep water wading 4×4s with snorkel and exteneded breathers pipes please give us a shout .! we are ready and waiting…
Cheers
All 4×4 response network member groups
http://www.yorks-lincs4x4response.org.uk Ian Clark

Need more 4×4s and deep water wading 4×4s with snorkel and exteneded breathers pipes please give us a shout .! we are ready and waiting…
Cheers
All 4×4 response network member groups
chris

Please let me know what I can do..I am a member of the American Airforce based at Lakenheath, Sufffolk. Happy to travel to the Lake District to help.
chris

Please let me know what I can do..I am a member of the American Airforce based at Lakenheath, Sufffolk. Happy to travel to the Lake District to help.
http://www.email-therapy-uk.co.uk/ Jane Fortune

good morning – I am a qualified and experienced counsellor [BACP membership no: 591468]. I work and live on the Wirral. In addition to providing in-person, or face to face, therapeutic services; I have been providing my service online. I have recently become a member and started ‘online’ disaster response training with ‘Online mental health action committee’ [OLMHAC.org]. If anyone would like to talk to me, disaster responders/flood victims etc, I would like to offer my skills and time to people in Cumbria free of charge. I work using ’secure live-instant-chat’, ‘Skype webcam’ and ‘email exchange’. I am only available in the evening as i work full time. Please checkout my websie for more details of my qualifications [see above]
Warm wishes
Jane
http://www.email-therapy-uk.co.uk Jane Fortune

good morning – I am a qualified and experienced counsellor [BACP membership no: 591468]. I work and live on the Wirral. In addition to providing in-person, or face to face, therapeutic services; I have been providing my service online. I have recently become a member and started ‘online’ disaster response training with ‘Online mental health action committee’ [OLMHAC.org]. If anyone would like to talk to me, disaster responders/flood victims etc, I would like to offer my skills and time to people in Cumbria free of charge. I work using ’secure live-instant-chat’, ‘Skype webcam’ and ‘email exchange’. I am only available in the evening as i work full time. Please checkout my websie for more details of my qualifications [see above]
Warm wishes
Jane
Mark

Hi Ian, Chris and Jane,

Thanks for getting in touch and offering to help. Throughout this crisis, one of the more touching aspects has been the willingness of members of the public to step forward and help.

However, when responding to such a dangerous and complex emergency (and, according to our emergency team, conditions here were unlike anything they had ever seen in the UK) it’s vital that we know everyone is fully trained, insured and prepared. That’s why, if you’d like to help in such situations, your best option would be to sign up as an emergency response volunteer.

We are always looking for extra help – and you all seem to have valuable experience – but the best route to getting involved is by signing up as a volunteer.
Mark

Hi Ian, Chris and Jane,

Thanks for getting in touch and offering to help. Throughout this crisis, one of the more touching aspects has been the willingness of members of the public to step forward and help.

However, when responding to such a dangerous and complex emergency (and, according to our emergency team, conditions here were unlike anything they had ever seen in the UK) it’s vital that we know everyone is fully trained, insured and prepared. That’s why, if you’d like to help in such situations, your best option would be to sign up as an emergency response volunteer.

We are always looking for extra help – and you all seem to have valuable experience – but the best route to getting involved is by signing up as a volunteer.
rob cruse

i would like to make a donation specifically directed at relief for the sufferers of the cumbrian floods. is this possible?
rob cruse

i would like to make a donation specifically directed at relief for the sufferers of the cumbrian floods. is this possible?
Mark

Hi Rob,

The Red Cross mounted a major emergency response to the flooding including search and rescue boats, 4×4 ambulances and expert crew. Our volunteers also played a vital role staffing rest centres and supporting people affected by the flooding.

Obviously, all this work cost a lot of money – and we were only able to mount such a huge response thanks to the support we receive from donors every day.

Although we haven’t currently launched a specific appeal for Cumbria, each donation to our Disaster Fund helps us respond to emergencies such as the current flooding. You can make a donation at http://www.redcross.org.uk/disasterfund or by calling 0844 87 100 87. Thanks very much for your support.
Mark

Hi Rob,

The Red Cross mounted a major emergency response to the flooding including search and rescue boats, 4×4 ambulances and expert crew. Our volunteers also played a vital role staffing rest centres and supporting people affected by the flooding.

Obviously, all this work cost a lot of money – and we were only able to mount such a huge response thanks to the support we receive from donors every day.

Although we haven’t currently launched a specific appeal for Cumbria, each donation to our Disaster Fund helps us respond to emergencies such as the current flooding. You can make a donation at http://www.redcross.org.uk/disasterfund or by calling 0844 87 100 87. Thanks very much for your support.
http://basementflooding.org/ Vincent Turney

Thank you for posting the link Mark, I was wondering the same thing about donating. Keep up the good work on the flooding, those people deserve all the support they can get.
http://basementflooding.org/ Vincent Turney

Thank you for posting the link Mark, I was wondering the same thing about donating. Keep up the good work on the flooding, those people deserve all the support they can get.
Ollieisbest

hewro

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Fighting the floods in Cockermouth

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