According to Electricity North West, “19,000 customers in Lancaster are still being supplied by generators that were mobilised Sunday night”.
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He said: “One thing that businesses and families should not be worrying about is paying their council tax and business rates if they have been affected by the floods”.
“When it comes to rebuilding the infrastructure of Cumbria and Lancashire and other areas affected we are assessing now the damage to the flood defences and the damage to the roads and funds will be made available”.
“We want to urge the public not to approach or go near any flood water as it is extremely fast flowing and can be a threat to peoples lives”.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Osborne said: “I can today announced a £50m fund for families and businesses affected in the area”.
H&H has already reported on one horse that died because of the floods, despite rescue attempts, horses being led to safety with the help of a tractor and a donkey in Ireland that had a lucky escape.
Communities Secretary Greg Clark said the Government was “determined to do all we can to help” people hit by the floods.
However rivers are not expected to return to levels reached last weekend.
A “multi-agency” response, which includes the military and the fire service, has begun, amid concerns the latest flooding could endanger lives.
Mark Walker, a teacher in the badly hit city of Carlisle, told Reuters by telephone the water was waist high at points along the main road and had flooded local businesses, including a vehicle dealership and a convenience store.
The CCC said “residual” flood risk – the flooding resulting from extreme weather events that can not be prevented by normal flood defences – was increasing. This will be administered by local authorities to avoid some of the administrative problems that she alludes to in her question. The CLA is providing advice and support to members across affected areas, and we have heard numerous examples of the solidarity and resilience of rural communities despite the devastation of the storm.
“David Cameron promised a full review of the future capability of UK’s flood defences back in 2014, but has never delivered on this”, said Guy Shrubsole, at Friends of the Earth.
The Environment Agency said figures from a rain gauge at Honister in the Lake District showed a United Kingdom record 341mm of rain had fallen in 24 hours over the weekend.
Professor Dame Julia Slingo, the Met Office’s chief scientist, said it was too early to say whether climate change has contributed to the exceptional rainfall, but “all the evidence from fundamental physics, and our understanding of our weather systems, suggests there may be a link between climate change and record-breaking winter rainfall”.
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“They are specially trained, not just within boats, but also in moving around in water safely”, said Mr Johnson.
