10,000 HOMES SWAMPED BY FLOODS IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29380, 6 December 1960, Page 17

10,000 HOMES SWAMPED BY FLOODS IN BRITAIN

Widespread Devastation In 40 Counties (N-Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, December 5. . More than 10,000 families, their homes swamped by the floods which devastated Britain during the week-end, looked out today on grey skies and more rain. Huddled in church halls and schoolrooms, drinking hot coffee prepared by emergency workers, they waited for the floods to recede so they could go home. Most had nothing with them except the damp, crumpled clothes they stood up in. n . Earl Y today there were reports that some of the flood waters were falling but there was no sign of general relief.

In all, 40 counties are flooded. About 60 major roads are still under water, and hundreds of minor roads are impassable. The hardest-hit areas were South Wales and Devon, which was still recovering from the floods of five weeks ago. In Cardiff, 6000 homes were swamped when the River Taff burst its banks. Three square miles of streets were turned into racing rivers of dirty, brown water littered with flood debris.

In the Devon city of Exeter, 1000 homes had water feet deep on the floor for the second time in little more than a month. In North, Devon, the River Taw, normally narrow, is now a lake 10 miles long and a mile wide at Amberleigh. Across the other side of England, thousands of tons of rainsoaked chalk slipped from the cliffs of Dover last night and blocked the Dover-London railway line. In Hereford, the River Wye was 20 feet above the summer level. In Somerset, the River Avon was 15 feet above normal.

Troops and police ferried elderly persons to safety in Cardiff, but had to tell others: “We have no place to put you.” Food was taken to those who had to be left stranded. The worst-hit area was the Gabalfa housing estate where more than 1000 homes were flooded. A legless war veteran was floated to safety on a plank-and-oil drum raft made by neighbours.

Dozens of parked cars were roof deep in water. Others were picked up by the racing floods and carried away. In Exeter, two 13-year-old boys, David Bucknell and Terry Roberts, were rescued from a flooded church early today after being trapped for nine hours. An Army “duck.” which tried to rescue them just before nightfall, was swept away in the flood like a cork. Four policemen finally reached them early today. Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, was

almost completely surrounded by the River Severn, which early today was reported to be 15 feet above normal. At Worcester, the flooded racecourse and cricket ground attracted hundreds of seagulls, though the sea is 80 mites away. Last evening the death roll stood at two. , Furious gales pounded the British coasts endangering shipping. Three ships helped rescue the 316-ton British collier Edenside when she dragged her anchors off Plymouth on the English Channel, and was being swept on to rocks. She was eventually towed to deeper water and reached harbour under her own steam. The gales also battered parts of the Continent. In Germany there were violent storms with gusts reaching 85 mites an hour. Roofs were blown off, shop windows were smashed, big trees were uprooted, power lines cut and cars blown off roads. Driving rain accompanied the wind in many places. Holland and France also felt the force of the gates. In Paris, winds of up to 80 miles an hour ripped off shutters and roof tiles and knocked chimneys down. In Germany, British Army units had been warned to stand by today to help in rescue work, said Reuter. Police and firemen at Bad Oyenhausen piled sandbags on top of a dyke built to control the River Werre which burst its banks. In Hamburg, many streets near the harbour were flooded. The death roll in Holland rose to four today as troops went into action in the stricken province of Drenthe to help evacuate and supply food to the population. The victims included a motorist whose car was blown off the road find a four-year-old boy who was blown into a ditch and drowned. Gusts of wind up to 75 mites an hour and heavy rain caused flooding and widespread damage.