Norfolk's latest tourist attraction? Curious visitors gawk at aftermath of tidal surge that destroyed homes on the east coast as residents begin massive clean-up operation
- - Hundreds of walkers took to the beaches around Hemsby to see the wreckage of houses
that slipped into the sea - - Elsewhere a rescue operation was underway today to save seal pups swept away from
beaches by the surge tide - - It emerges police in Essex asked residents to sign waivers saying they 'understand the
risks' of staying in their homes
By DAMIEN GAYLE
|
Disaster tourists today flocked to Britains east coast to see for themselves the aftermath of the biggest tidal surge in six decades.
Curious bystanders today stood staring at beachside bungalows in Hemsby, Norfolk, which collapsed into the sea after the high tide obliterated the bluff on which they stood.
Hundreds of sightseers were walking on Hemsby beach, stopping to look and their there pictures taken with the houses that have all but fallen into the sea after their cliff-top perch disintegrated.
Beach walkers wander past the wreckage of houses swept towards the sea by the record-breaking tidal surge which inundated Britain's east coast on Thursday night
Devastation: A couple stands by a bungalow which has slid down a cliff. Some 1,400 homes and businesses were flooded by the most serious tidal surge in 60 years
Sightseers walk on Hemsby beach to look and have their pictures taken with the houses that have fallen from where they perched atop
the cliff at its edge
The calm after the storm: Thankfully, weather has remained calm in the communities worst affected by the flooding, with conditions
largely dry despite cloudy skies
Curious: Beach walkers congregate around the ruin of one particularly severely damaged house
Fun for all the family: A policeman stands guard to warn people away from the still-unstable structures as a family with young children wanders along the sea front
Policemen and Environment Agency workers in hi-viz jackets stood by to warn curious onlookers against straying to close to the still unstable ruins.
Properties further inland fared little better from the raging waters; they stood today with holes torn in their walls, windows shattered and contents strewn across still muddy streets.
Meanwhile, Environment Agency workers, backed up by an RAF Chinook helicopter, worked to patch up battered flood defences with sandbags.
And the clean-up operation was still under way after 1,400 homes and businesses around Britain were flooded by the most serious tidal surge in 60 years on Thursday night.
The scene on Friday: Steven and Jackie Connelly's home in Hemsby, Norfolk, slid down the cliff moments after they rescued their cats
and a few possessions
Owner Steve Connelly is pictured as he assesses what is left of his home after it fell into the North Sea during the storms on Thursday night
Only the patio doors and a rear window were left standing as the £59,000 brick-built home was torn in two
The Connellys are being put up along with other residents at a nearby holiday park but it is unclear where they will live in the long term
Robin Adams inspects the remains of his three-bedroom bungalow which fell into the sea on Thursday night. The whole property and its contents were washed away
The houses collapsed when the cliff on which they were built disintegrated under the force of the raging storm tide which swept across
the area on Thursday night
Devastated residents watched their cliff-top homes disappear into the sea as Thursday night's tidal surge hit the east coast of Britain
Thankfully, weather has remained calm in the communities worst affected by the flooding, with conditions largely dry despite cloudy skies.
A rescue operation was also underway today to save scores of grey seal pups which were swept away from beaches by the surge tide last week.
The National Trust confirmed that 263 pups were lost on Thursday night from a major breeding colony at Horsey Gap near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Others are also believed missing from the National Trust reserve at Blakeney Point in north Norfolk along with 20 from an offshore colony at Scroby Sands near Great Yarmouth.
Wildlife volunteers said 190 of the pups have been washed up alive on nearby beaches, but there are fears that many might still die after being separated from their mothers in the raging seas.
Others have already drowned and bodies are turning up on beaches.
Royal Air Force Support Chinook Helicopter provides heavy lift support to place one-ton sandbags into a breach in the sea defence wall near Middlesbrough
The Royal Air Force Support Chinook was deployed to the North East with a six-man team from RAF Odiham's Joint Helicopter Support Squadron to support the Environment Agency as workers carry out repairs on the East Coast flood defences
And it emerged today that police had asked residents who refused to leave their homes in advance of the storm were asked to sign disclaimers
The forms stated that anyone who signed accepted that they were putting themselves at risk from sea water 'up to a depth of three metres' by staying in their homes.
A clause added that emergency services would be 'stretched to their capacity' in the event of flooding, meaning that people might not be able to be rescued until waters had subsided.
More than 1,000 residents of Jaywick near Clacton, Essex, which was deemed to be at risk of serious flooding were asked to sign after they refused to be evacuated on Thursday.
Two seal pups lie on a beach: A rescue operation was also underway today to save scores of grey seal pups which were swept away from beaches by the surge tide
Three-day forecast: Areas worst affected by the storm surge are expected to stay dry, with the odd ray of sunshine breaking through patchy cloud. Rain over Scotland and Northern Ireland will clear and temperatures across the country will be fairly mild, particularly in the South
The form, headed Evacuation Advice Leaflet, stated: 'If you decide to remain within your home, you should be aware that there is high risk your home will be flooded by sea water up to a depth of three metres.
'You also need to bear in mind that in the event of severe flooding, the electricity and gas supplies may be temporarily suspended.
'In the event you decided to remain within your home, you will be asked to sign the bottom of this notice to state that you understand the risks of remaining in your home at this time.
'If flooding does occur, then it is anticipated the emergency services will be stretched to their capacity and may not be able to undertake an emergency rescue until the flood water has subsided.'
An Essex Police spokesman confirmed that leaflets were handed out in Jaywick 'to make clear to residents the severity of the situation they were facing and the different options open to them'.
Biblical proportions: The Quay car park, at Morston, on the north Norfolk coast, on Friday morning, just hours after the storm surge struck
the region's coastline
The North Sea surge hit the north Norfolk coast early Thursday evening and headed south throughout the night. It emerged today that police in Essex asked residents to sign waivers if they chose not to leave their homes after being warned of the imminent inundation
People make their way through the devastation at Cromer, in Norfolk, as debris lies across the promenade: The Environment Agency said beefed-up flood defences and timely flood warnings helped prevent even greater loss of life and property despite 'record-breaking' sea levels along the east coast
Other police forces in Suffolk, Norfolk and Kent which also advised residents of some low-lying areas to leave their homes, said they did not require them to sign forms. Instead officers only noted the names of residents to confirm that they had been given the advice.
Thousands of people have been left effectively homeless by the surging tide which struck the Norfolk coast on Thursday evening and swept south throughout the night.
It was inundation on a near-Biblical scale, with the 40 severe flood warnings, 134 flood warnings and 63 flood alerts in place by the following morning.
It claimed two lives, but the Environment Agency said beefed-up flood defences and timely flood warnings helped prevent even greater loss of life and property despite 'record-breaking' sea levels along the east coast.
Cromer Pier, in Norfolk, is now closed to the public because of after the massive storm hit coastal towns along the east coast of Britain
Thousands of homes had to be evacuated as the North Sea surge hit the Norfolk coast early Thursday evening before moving south throughout the night
High waves can be seen lashing Cromer seafront and pier, in Norfolk, in the day following following the storm surge
The coastguard can be seen assessing damage along the Cromer promenade, in Norfolk, at dawn after the storm
An EA spokesman said: 'Over 2,800 kilometres of flood walls, banks and other flood risk management assets along the English coast and estuaries have protected more than 800,000 properties from flooding.
'Environment Agency teams and contractors will remain out on the ground over the coming days to inspect and repair damaged sections of walls, banks and other assets.
'These teams have received military support for the most urgent repairs.'
No comments:
Post a Comment