As the Red Cross moves in to help stranded villagers, residents tell Sky News of their experience.
Elizabeth Nightingale said: “I’ve lived here 34 years, this is the fifth big flood we’ve had, but the last two years have been much bigger than anything before.
“Back in 1990 we were cut off 60 days, mostly it’s a week or two weeks; a month is an awfully long time.”
Sylvia McGrady said: “Because I’m retired and quite healthy, it’s not been too much of a problem for me.
“The difficulty is for people who have had water in their houses and people who have children to take to school and people who are unwell who need to get to hospital.
“We’re used to being flooded a couple of days every year, we’re not used to being cut off for months so we’re grateful for all the help we’re getting.”
Charles Vaughn Johnson said: “This part of the world floods every winter.
“It’s a managed drainage system so to that extent we’re used to this exceptional level of flooding.
“We thought it was exceptional in 2012 but this time it’s got as far as the prime minister who seems to be the only person in this country who can make decisions, so that is an improvement.”
Nigel Smith said: “For the first week or two we were left by ourselves and that was disconcerting because we didn’t know what the situation was going to be and nobody came anywhere near us.
“But now we’ve got the fire brigade here and the communication backwards and forwards.
“The level of response now has been terrific, particularly the fire brigade.
“I think dredging and sending the army in is largely a political statement to satisfy people’s arguable complaints.
“The dredging will help a little bit but that’s not all we need.”
:: Watch Sky News for special coverage from Somerset, live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
Source Article from http://uk.news.yahoo.com/flooded-residents-tell-experiences-152732983.html
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