Thousands stranded by huge snowfalls

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 8

Thousands stranded by huge snowfalls

NZPA London Royal Air Force, Navy, and Army helicopters have dropped emergency food parcels and bottled gas to families stranded by some of the heaviest snowfalls in Britain for 30 years. Thousands of people on Dartmoor and throughout north Devon have been cut off for up to five days and R.A.F. helicopters made about 50 sortees. Kidney patients on home machines, were all airlifted to hospital. Other flights brought relief to a group of elderly, some in their 90s living in isolated old folk’s cottages near Tavistock. The pensioners were stranded in their homes with snow drifts up to the roof. At least five pregnant women were flown from their isolated homes to hospital in north Devon.

An R.A.F. spokesman siaid: “Aircraft are landing and taking off again without shutting down their engines.” Troops were brought in to help dig stranded cars out of the snow, and armoured trucks carried food supplies to isolated villages. In one case a doctor was taken to an emergency call

by armoured car. The Navy had six helicopters out, rescuing people caught in the drifts, ferrying medical cases to hospital and in one case delivering an incubator to a house where a premature baby was born a few hours later. Mother and child were then airlifted to hospital. Three R.A.F. Wessex helicopters were used at Exeter Airport — a temporary base for airlifting fodder to cattle. Farmers cut off from their sheep were also flown across their land to reach them. A National Farmers’ Union spokesman said: “Dartmoor is a disaster area with horrifying stock losses.” Two emergency centres were to be set up — at Taunton and Exeter. Britain's new Minister for Emergencies (Mr Denis Howell) promised the snowbound areas unlimited Government support to help them get back on their feet. On seeing for himself the havoc around Exeter, the Minister agreed it was a special emergency area. His message to the local authorities was: Get on witn the rescue and clear-up operation, the Government will pink up the bill, whatever it is.