1. Emergency services were up against tough conditions
image source: uk.finance.yahoo.com
Emergency services were needed more than ever when Storm Babet hit, and especially in the aftermath, but the reality was the flooding has been so severe that even emergency services and their vehicles were struggling to make it through very deep water. Rescue attempts had to battle with the reality of being slowed down significantly.
2. Cars have been completely submerged
image source: uk.finance.yahoo.com
People in some areas of the country are still being warned that bad weather may continue, and at its worst, the flooding has not only swept cars away, but been deep enough to completely submerge vehicles. The tragedy of the storm is that many cars have been swept away or lost with people inside and resulted in fatalities.
3. Roads were completely blocked by water at least 4 feet deep
image source: uk.finance.yahoo.com
The flooding has been so severe that in some parts of the country, entire streets and roads have been completely flooded with water at least 4 feet deep. This has left people stranded not being able to travel down certain streets or roads, or even abandoning their vehicles after trying to drive through without realising how deep the water levels actually were.
4. Residents had to take matters into their own hands to rescue those in need
image source: uk.finance.yahoo.com
The most vulnerable in storms as severe as Babet remain the elderly and disabled, and the reality of the storm has been many elderly residents left stranded in their homes or trapped because of the flood waters. In some places, people have taken to their own homemade boats just to rescue people from their homes and take them to safety.
5. An entire village flooded
image source: mirror.co.uk
The most shocking effect of Storm Babet has been drone photos to show the before and after photos of entire villages and communities. Flood waters have been so severe that they’ve submerged entire villages in some places in the UK, including houses.
6. The reality of the clean up
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Even in those areas where the flood waters are no longer submerging streets, property and cars, the reality of the clean up is setting in. The dirty water has left behind a lot of dirt and mud to be shifted, as clean up efforts begin with council workers laboring effortlessly to clear the streets.
7. Coastal areas have been up against violent waves
image source: thetelegraph.co.uk
Those most at risk have of course been the people living close to the ocean, and as the storm began to gather, terrifying scenes like this of the waves crashing against the shore became a reality. This shows a huge wave crashing into the South Shields pier, which is usually walkable for the general public.
8. Personal possessions and homes completely destroyed
image source: uk.news.yahoo.com
The devastation that Storm Babet has left behind isn’t just floodwater and the threat of bad weather – for some people, it has completely destroyed their forever homes, ruined their possessions and left them with nothing. Streets are littered with the ruined and wet furniture and electrical appliances piled by residents.
9. Cars are left completely damaged
image source: uk.news.yahoo.com
If your car survived being swept away in the severe flood waters, then it’s likely it would have been damaged another way, such as by falling branches, mud or water damage. Many people’s vehicles were left unusable and abandoned, with the reality that for some people, they may not be able to afford a replacement.
10. Trees have been uprooted all over the country
image source: perspectivemagazine.com
As if facing horrifying flood waters wasn’t enough, the storm has been so bad to completely uproot trees, causing another potentially-fatal emergency, with trees at risk of falling on people, trapping them, falling on properties or damaging cars. Associations like the National Trust are working hard to assess the damage.
