Saturday January 11, 2025

Storm Dennis kills 5 in UK, further damage feared

Published : 18 Feb 2020, 20:32

  DF-Xinhua Report
Photo taken on Feb. 17, 2020 shows general view of floodwater on River Street, in York, Britain. Photo by Craig Brough/Xinhua.

Storm Dennis has killed at least five in the country since Saturday and there is further wet and windy weather to come this week, Britain's national weather service the Met Office has warned.

Body of a 55-year-old women, who was swept away in Worcestershire, was found Monday. One body was found in a south Wales river, while another was found dead in Scotland mountain track. The other two were found dead in Kent on Sunday, the English newspaper The Times reported.

With much of the ground around Britain saturated from heavy rain over the last two weeks, further severe weather warnings are in force for some of the worst hit areas. Yellow National Severe Weather warnings for rain have been issued for southern and north west Wales on Wednesday evening and through Thursday, said the Met Office.

More than 200 flood warnings have been in place across England, Wales and Scotland, including nine severe "danger to life" warnings for the rivers Lugg, Severn, Wye and Trent. Residents have been advised to leave their homes in parts of Worcestershire as the River Severn burst its banks, the BBC reported.

According to the Environment Agency, a British non-departmental public body, more than 480 properties had been flooded and "the saturated ground conditions" left by Storm Ciara earlier in the month had contributed to the severe floods caused by Storm Dennis.

"Further rain will arrive on Wednesday evening and this is likely to become prolonged and possibly heavy over areas of high ground...With the ground already saturated there is a chance of further flooding, members of the public should check their flood risk and stay up to date with flood warnings," said Andy Page, chief meteorologist of the Met Office.