British Neighbors Cope With Floodwaters

July 25, 2007 — -- When the water came rushing down her street Saturday night, 77-year-old Nora Bland was terrified.

"It was a very harrowing experience," said Bland, as she stood on the doorstep of the modest bungalow where she lives alone with her Yorkshire terrier, dirty brown water still lapping at her driveway.

"Your stomach's all butterflies," she said. "Like, is the water going to come, or isn't it?"

So far, it hasn't reached Bland's doorstep. But the flood that swept through her neighborhood and submerged the small cul-de-sac on which she lives has kept Bland shut in her house for days.

Unable to wade through the thigh-deep, sewage-polluted water that surrounds her home, Bland and several other elderly residents on the same street have depended on friendly neighbors for food, water and information.

"We've just been going every couple of hours," said Shelley Roffey, 29, a sprightly blond woman who lives in a brown-brick house around the corner.

"We deliver their post," Roffey told ABC News. "And I've been showing them pictures on my phone of what it's like outside. They have no clue."

Such signs of kindness, along with a kind of determined resignation, characterize the attitude of people in this corner of the city of Gloucester, one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating floods that swept through southwest England in the past five days.

"I think people have kind of accepted it," said Terry Williams, 70, wearing knee-high rubber boots and green waterproof pants as he waded toward the entrance of his bungalow, which stood barely above the flood levels.

"You know, life goes on," he said. "What can you do about it?"

'Met My Neighbors'

Rising waters have left 350,000 people in the county of Gloucestershire without running water, according to authorities, and 48,000 homes were plunged into darkness when a local power station failed over the weekend. More than 10,000 homes throughout England have either been flooded or are at risk of flooding, the BBC reported Tuesday.

On Shelley Roffey's block, many homes were still inundated with water up to 3 feet deep Tuesday morning, and severe flood warnings for the area -- meaning imminent danger to life and property -- remained in effect. Images of houses are reflected in the still pools that once were gardens. Across the road, what was a sports field now looks like a lake.

And yet, despite the destruction, some here say the water has brought members of the community closer together.

"I've met my neighbors," said Phil Walters, 46, wearing swimming trunks and open-toed slippers as he waded through the thigh-deep, smelly water toward the entrance of his house, which on Tuesday was still half submerged.

Simon Paine, the manager of a local inn and pub just down the road, agreed.

"The atmosphere in the neighborhood has been really good," he told ABC News. "I've met people I never knew before."

Water started rising in this area Friday, as the river Severn, just a few miles to the west, swelled beyond its banks. That day nearly two months' worth of rain fell in less than 24 hours, according to the Met Office, a British meteorological institute. Flood levels seemed to go down Friday, residents told ABC News, but then rose again suddenly early Saturday morning.

Phil Walters had just finished cleaning out his house when he saw the water rising precipitously around 2 a.m.

He rushed outside to warn families who were sleeping in their cars on the street, hoping to avoid floods elsewhere.

"The water was rising really fast," Walters said. "I had to knock on all the doors. The kids, they were asleep, and they were just terrified."

The families were able to move their cars to a higher location on time. The road they were parked on is now waist-deep in water.

Rising Tide

As the water started rising Friday night, the pub Simon Paine manages with his wife, Kerry, at the Premier Travel Inn, served as a temporary meeting point for the community. It stayed open all night, rooms booked to capacity with people evacuated from their homes, offering drinks and company for those affected by the storm.

"When the water came on the first night he offered us a room and free beer," said Phil Walters. "There were lots of people there."

The pub, raised a bit above the surrounding street, managed to withstand the water longer than most.

"It got started Friday," Paine told ABC News. "We got flooded a little, but we cleaned up by Saturday. Monday morning, it just came flying in."

Following the floods, the inn will close for about six weeks, Paine said, and will have to be refurbished completely before reopening.

Tuesday afternoon, Paine could again be seen rallying the community as he organized a barbecue for neighbors, using the meat still stored at the inn.

"Obviously, nobody's eaten, have they?" Paine asked a group of people standing around in knee-deep water, his own legs wrapped in garbage bags.

Most people in this area seem to be insured against flooding, one possible reason residents here have been so stoic.

Others were not as lucky. Since Friday night, hundreds of evacuees, many without insurance, had been staying at the community leisure center in Gloucester, emergency workers told ABC News. By Tuesday afternoon, that number had dwindled to only a handful.

$4 Billion in Damage

Insurers have predicted that costs related to the floods throughout England could top $4 billion, according to The Times of London.

But for all the community support, not everyone in this corner of Gloucester is keeping their neighbors in mind.

"Unfortunately, we have some idiots that drive through," said Terry Williams, referring to the handful of cars trying to make it through the flooded streets. "They cause big waves."

And although most people seemed satisfied with the emergency services, which have been struggling to deliver emergency supplies, especially clean water, to those without running water and electricity, some expressed frustration.

"The sandbag situation is absolutely horrific," said Nora Bland, shaking her head. "They should have stockpiles of those."

Shelley Roffey said residents were informed Saturday there were only 200 bags available for all of Gloucester.

The Gloucestershire County Council couldn't be reached for comment.

But other residents felt the authorities had done enough.

"They could do more," said Terry Williams. "But," he added, and pointed to the sheet of water stretching into the distance, "what the hell can they do with weather like this?"

And although the waters have started to recede, the worst may still be ahead for Gloucester, with experts predicting more heavy rainfall later in the week.

For now, Williams said, the community is determined to make the best of a bad situation. "It's happened," he said, "and you just play it as it goes along."