Britons begin slow recovery from floods

London unlikely to flood
Nearly five inches of rain fell in some areas on Friday alone. More rain fell on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. While floodwaters began to recede in Gloucester and Tewkesbury — two of the hardest-hit communities — other places west of London on the Thames braced for rising water levels.

The Thames was expected to crest in Pangbourne, Purley and Reading area by late Tuesday to early Wednesday. Emergency officials, however, said they expected the levels to be lower than the worst-affected areas.

London, further down the Thames, appeared unlikely to flood. The Thames Barrier, the world’s largest moveable flood defense, can be closed to seal off the upper river from tidal flows that could cause a swollen river to overrun its banks.

The heaviest flooding was in Gloucestershire, about 120 miles west of London, inundating pumping stations and cutting off drinkable water to an estimated 350,000 people. Authorities deployed some 900 tanker trucks in the region with emergency water rations.

County officials said some of the tankers had been vandalized amid frustrations over the water supply.

Religious services continuing
Tewkesbury’s 900-year-old Norman abbey — shown in aerial shots surrounded by water — said services were continuing despite the floods. Water entered the building, which dominates the town from its elevated perch, for the first time since 1760.

The Environment Agency said the River Severn at Gloucester crested just inches below a level that would have threatened the city center and a power station serving 500,000 homes. The Thames crested overnight in Oxford, but downstream in Reading the highest water was not expected until Thursday, the agency said.

The agency said the River Severn at Gloucester crested just inches below a level that would have threatened the city center and the Walham power station, which serves 500,000 homes. Benn said “heroic efforts” by firefighters, soldiers and sailors from the Royal Navy kept floodwaters at bay.

Channel 4 News reported the power station also supplies electricity to Government Communications Headquarters, Britain’s electronic spying nerve-center. Officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

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