Residents of the idyllic village of Fishlake in Doncaster had been scared for their lives over the past week as their houses were 3ft underwater as the River Don burst its banks late on Friday night.
Earlier on Friday, the residents of the village weren’t given any warning from the environmental agency that the village was going to be flooded within a couple of hours. Citizens of Fishlake got the news at 5 pm on Friday from the agency that there was no need to buy sandbags because the village ‘would not flood’.
Less than four hours later, the rain was filling up in properties right through the village. A months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours, the drainage couldn’t cope.
A Military helicopter was called in to strengthen flood defences overnight in the flood-hit areas. Around half of the 700 residents left Fishlake as the river burst its banks.
Toby Willison, the Environmental Agency’s Executive Director wasn’t sure about the information that the local residents had been given claiming that “I don’t know whether the residents were told the wrong thing or not.’’
On Sunday evening, the number of ‘danger to live’ warnings were reduced from seven to five, through the village and down the River Don. The council weren’t allowed to offer on the ground support because of advice from the environmental agency, the military armed forces were doing food airdrops for the trapped residents.
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has said that he is in ‘awe’ of the Yorkshire community during this difficult period from the village. “I am in awe of the community’s spirit and resilience in the face of this awful ongoing event.’’
During the flooding, 60 swans were caught up in an oil spill. A local resident called the RSPCA to the South Yorkshire village after oil-polluted the feathers of the swans. It was thought a barge had been overturned leading to oil pollution. They will be cleaned before being let back into the wild after the floodwater has disappeared.
One woman died after being swept up by floodwater. The body of Annie Hall was found in the River Derwent after she was engulfed by the floodwater in Matlock.
The forecasts aren’t good reading for the residents as the rain is forecasted to continue over the coming days.
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