Storm Ciarán: despite intense rain, several areas of the UK are still at risk of flooding
Following severe damage and disruption caused by Storm Ciarán, which slammed portions of Britain and the islands of the Channel with torrential rain and gusts of up to 102 mph, individuals and companies have been advised to stay vigilant for potential floods.
In the southern part of England, flooding remained a serious issue. The Met Office set a new record for the smallest mean sea level air pressure in Wales and England in November, and some of people affected by the storm claimed they hadn’t witnessed such terrible circumstances in years.
Numerous individuals were forced to leave their homes, and numerous schools were closed. Landslips and trees that fell obstructed roads, affecting bus, rail, and maritime lines as well as flights. There were over 20,000 houses without electricity.
A tree fell on a police car at Loddiswell, southern Devon, and the officer was transported to hospital for further examination; in Newbury, Berkshire, the AA saved a man suffering from hypothermia from a river. While there were no injuries to the occupants, two buses in Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, were damaged by debris during high winds.
Firefighters in Dorset evacuated seventy people from 198 trailers at the Freshwater Beach vacation park, which is close to Bridport. Some of the individuals were transported by boat to dry land.
With so much rain pouring on already saturated land, the Environment Agency cautioned that floods might occur even if the worst of the storm had passed by Thursday midday. The organization has sent out 235 flood alerts and 90 warnings about flooding for England by Friday morning.
For much of Wales and England on the evening of Thursday and for a portion of northeastern England & eastern Scotland on Friday, the Met Office continued to issue yellow rain warnings. A second yellow alert was issued for a portion of southern England on Saturday, spanning from London to Canterbury.
Storm Ciarán first hit the Channel Islands hardest; according to the Jersey authorities, wind speeds reached 102 mph (164 km/h). Building damage forced more than 60 residents of the island to leave their homes. Three individuals required hospital care.
There were nine-meter seas and big hailstones hitting the islands. At its highest level, the Jersey Met Department issued a red wind warning.