0:00:01 > 0:00:04The British weather is a constant topic of conversation.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08Often unpredictable, it's now having an even bigger effect
0:00:08 > 0:00:09on our lives.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Dangerous floods threaten our homes,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15forest fires devastate our countryside
0:00:15 > 0:00:18and savage storms ravage our coast lines.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Today, we find out what happens when Britain gets hit by freak weather.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27We see the stories of people's lives
0:00:27 > 0:00:31who've been turned upside-down by the totally unexpected.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38And we show you how to protect yourself, your home and your family from disaster.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Welcome to Living Dangerously.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47We've all seen the terrible headlines
0:00:47 > 0:00:50of hurricanes, flooding and storm damage.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54But what's it really like when extreme weather wrecks your life?
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Well, today we hear two more incredible stories
0:00:56 > 0:00:59of catastrophe and survival.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Coming up on Living Dangerously:
0:01:02 > 0:01:05floods in the Cornish village of Boscastle
0:01:05 > 0:01:07leave one woman facing her worst nightmare.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'I didn't know where my husband or son were.'
0:01:10 > 0:01:16I didn't know whether anyone might lose their life, in fact, because it was that scary.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20And a south London family house is literally swallowed up by the earth.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24I just said, "I think our house is falling down!"
0:01:24 > 0:01:28With home video, actual footage and reconstruction,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32we show what happened during these real-life weather events.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39This quaint and tranquil spot on the north Cornish coast
0:01:39 > 0:01:42is Boscastle, an unspoilt village
0:01:42 > 0:01:46that boasts a pristine medieval harbour and a pretty river.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53It was these picture-postcard qualities
0:01:53 > 0:01:56that attracted the Upton family from Doncaster
0:01:56 > 0:01:59who came to visit in August 2004.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01'We loved it.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:06We felt it was typically Cornish, it was quite quaint.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07It was all very pleasant.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12My dad fancied going down into Boscastle for a look around.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It was one place we'd never been.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17'The weather had been promising.'
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I only had flip-flops on and shorts
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and an open shirt.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26And so we thought we were in for a good warm day.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Barbara Upton, her husband Tony and son John
0:02:31 > 0:02:35had planned a relaxing day exploring the coastal village.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40But one of the worst flash floods this country has ever seen
0:02:40 > 0:02:42was about to hit this seaside village,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45causing hundreds to fear for their lives
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and leaving homes, cars and businesses destroyed.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55The weather forecast for that day was heavy, sometimes torrential, rain.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58But the morning was bright and the Uptons made the most of it.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'It was gloriously warm and sunny'
0:03:01 > 0:03:04so we had a walk round the harbour and on the cliff.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07When it got a bit black and cloudy,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10we went for something to eat in the cafe,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13at which point it started to rain.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17It was almost torrential rain. The heavens opened. No warning at all.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Everyone was screaming about outside
0:03:20 > 0:03:23trying to find somewhere dry to jump into.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26We thought it would be a quick shower and that would be it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30The rain fell steadily.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35But even in August, it wasn't particularly unusual to have a rainy day by the Cornish seaside.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37So, a couple of hours later,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Mum and Dad decided to brave the elements
0:03:40 > 0:03:41and continue with their plans.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46When Tony and I decided to go to the harbour,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49John decided he didn't want to get wet any more
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and he was going to stay in the car and listen to music
0:03:52 > 0:03:55and just relax and chill out.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Being 14, I wasn't that bothered about walking around a small town
0:04:00 > 0:04:05so I thought I'd go back to the car, put my headphones in and just relax.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09I thought, "They'll be back in 20 or 25 minutes."
0:04:11 > 0:04:15John was now half a mile away from his parents at the top of the village.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Little did he know that his decision to separate from them
0:04:19 > 0:04:21would have such serious implications.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Back down in the village, all eyes were on the River Valency
0:04:27 > 0:04:29which flows through Boscastle.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34After well over two hours of intense rainfall,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37the amount of water flowing into the river increased dramatically,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41causing the river to flow fuller and faster than before.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44It seemed to be welling up all the time.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47As soon as it started overflowing and covering the banks,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50we made our way up to the bridge
0:04:50 > 0:04:56to have a look and watch it coming down the buildings that were there.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01Locals and holidaymakers alike had gathered to witness the spectacle.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Water levels were rising
0:05:03 > 0:05:07and rain streaming down the steep sides of the surrounding valley
0:05:07 > 0:05:09only swelled the river further.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But as Tony and Barbara arrived at the bridge,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15fascination was about to turn to alarm.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19By this time it was actually very cold and wet.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I had a small umbrella with me which wasn't doing a great deal
0:05:23 > 0:05:26but I kept it up, out of habit, I think!
0:05:26 > 0:05:32And when I turned, I saw the water rushing down the village.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40By now, Boscastle had suffered three hours of continuous rainfall,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43and it was too much for this straining river.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49Its banks burst and millions of gallons of water gushed through the village centre.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56With water overflowing onto the streets,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59the Uptons knew the situation had rapidly worsened.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Immediately they became concerned for their son
0:06:02 > 0:06:05who was back in the car park, right next to the river.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09My first thought was for John.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14And so Tony said I was to stay there
0:06:14 > 0:06:18and he would go and make sure John was all right in the car in the car park.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So that's what happened.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23By that time, the water was up to Tony's calves.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Meanwhile, back in the car,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30John was listening to music, unaware the car park was becoming flooded.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35I was a bit hungry so I thought I'd go to the boot of the car
0:06:35 > 0:06:39and I stepped out of the car and I was knee-deep in water,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42which was quite a shock!
0:06:42 > 0:06:45My parents weren't there. I thought, "What's going on?"
0:06:45 > 0:06:48People were panicking, grabbing all their stuff,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51trying to run, trying to get their cars out of the car park.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Being 14, I didn't really know what to do.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59I was at a bit of a loss. You don't expect that to happen on holiday.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I thought I'd try and get to the highest place possible.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06I couldn't get out of the car park or even walk through it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10My best bet was to get on top of the car. It was the driest place I could find at that point.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I grabbed my bag with my belongings in it and the car keys and sat on the car
0:07:14 > 0:07:18and just hoped and prayed everything would be all right.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Events now moved incredibly swiftly.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Many of the main roads into town became impassable.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Some of the village's stone walls began to collapse.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31As the cars began to float in the flooded car park,
0:07:31 > 0:07:37coastguards and emergency services received their first 999 calls from the public.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Deputy Chief Fire Officer Ted Simpson was alerted
0:07:41 > 0:07:43and made his way to the stricken village.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49The weather in Truro was bright sunshine. Nice conditions.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52But as I made my way to the north coast,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55I noticed the sky started to darken
0:07:55 > 0:07:57and as I reached the Boscastle area,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02it was just a mass of black clouds with lightning through the clouds.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06The rain was absolutely torrential. I've never seen rain like it.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11Although all coastal towns are prone to high rainfall,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14thanks to the sea air's high moisture content,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16this was a freakish downpour.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18But three factors made the problem worse. First,
0:08:18 > 0:08:23the hills around the village which were forcing the air to rise and release more rain.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Second, conflicting wind currents that kept the bad weather stationary,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and third, Boscastle's old drainage system
0:08:30 > 0:08:33was blocked by rocks washed down from the hills
0:08:33 > 0:08:36causing the water to back up.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38SIREN WAILS
0:08:38 > 0:08:43With rescue crews speeding to the village, the flash flooding was wreaking havoc.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Raging torrents of water from the intense rain and swollen river
0:08:47 > 0:08:49were pouring through the streets.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57As roads were swept away,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01fire and ambulance crews were confronted with huge amounts of debris
0:09:01 > 0:09:03swept along by the floods.
0:09:11 > 0:09:17The scale of this incident more or less covered Boscastle as a village.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22There were a significant number of houses that were flooded
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and a lot of houses were in danger of collapse.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Meanwhile, Barbara was still waiting anxiously by the bridge.
0:09:31 > 0:09:38Tony didn't materialise at all, by which time the water I was standing in was ankle deep.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43And I began to see things floating down the street.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48At that point, Tony was wading through the submerged roads in search of son, John.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53He was still in the car park, perched on the top of the car fearing for his life.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00At that point, cars were just rolling down the car park.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02One car was on its side.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Water had taken it and it was travelling down further.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10John's car was on slightly higher ground than other vehicles
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and so hadn't budged. Yet.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But as the water's speed and depth increased,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18so did his chances of being swept away.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24I realised I really wasn't in a very good predicament at all.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I hoped something was gonna happen as quick as possible
0:10:27 > 0:10:31cos at any point I could have been washed down with the other cars.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33It could have just gone.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Coming up on Living Dangerously:
0:10:35 > 0:10:39in the midst of one of Britain's worst ever natural disasters,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41will a mother's worst nightmare become a reality?
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Am I going to see my son, at 14,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48be washed away in my vehicle?
0:10:55 > 0:11:00On the outskirts of south London lies the town of Bromley in leafy Kent.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Just a 20-minute commute into central London,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07it's a popular suburb filled with pristine family homes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10But beneath the suburban idyll
0:11:10 > 0:11:13lurks a clear and present danger.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Over hundreds of years, that most ordinary of British weather conditions, the rain,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22is dramatically affecting what goes on far below the surface of the ground.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27Across Britain, millions of houses have been built on layers of clay.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Or, like in Bromley, on chalk.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33But years and years of ordinary rain have made these layers unstable
0:11:33 > 0:11:38and put some homes at a real risk of subsidence.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Eve Shepherd was oblivious to the dangers of the underlying chalk
0:11:42 > 0:11:45when she decided to make Bromley her home.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50I've lived in south London all my life, which is 58 years.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53We had a three bedroomed.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57And this was a nice quiet area
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and our children had left home
0:12:00 > 0:12:03so this suited us better.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I like it to look nice.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10New bathroom, new kitchen.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Like any property when you move in. You want it how you want to do it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20In June 2003, Eve and her husband Terry found their dream home -
0:12:20 > 0:12:23a three-bedroomed semi with a garage in Bromley.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28But little did they know that as a result of years of unrelenting British rain,
0:12:28 > 0:12:35on April 11 2006, this perfect pad would literally fall to pieces around them.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I'm catching up with Eve to find out what happened.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- Hi, Eve.- Welcome.- Nadia.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- Thank you for having me. - You're welcome.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Eve, take me back to that morning.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53Phew. Um... About ten past four in the morning,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56we heard a crackling sound.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58We didn't think any more of it.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Went back to bed. Two or three minutes later,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05we heard an almighty noise. My husband got up and put the lights on.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And as he did that,
0:13:08 > 0:13:13the plaster above the door and the windows started to crack.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- What did you think at that moment? - I didn't think anything.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I think Terry knew...
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Had an idea something wasn't quite right,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26but didn't want to alarm me too much.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30As we were coming down the stairs,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33the wall started to crack as well
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and split open.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I phoned 999.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Who had you phoned when you phoned 999?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48You phone 999 and they say to you, "What service?"
0:13:48 > 0:13:52And I went, "I'm not sure!"
0:13:52 > 0:13:55That's what I was thinking. I wouldn't know what service to ask for!
0:13:55 > 0:14:00I just said, "I think our house is falling down."
0:14:05 > 0:14:10The operator at the other end just said, "Get out as soon as possible."
0:14:10 > 0:14:12You just think it's a bad dream.
0:14:12 > 0:14:18We've gone along to our neighbours and woken them because we didn't know what was happening.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22They thought I'd had one too many to drink!
0:14:22 > 0:14:2523 metres under their house is a layer of chalk,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28which is a soft, powdery limestone
0:14:28 > 0:14:32that can slowly dissolve from hundreds, if not thousands, of years
0:14:32 > 0:14:34of acid rainwater.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Cavities called swallow holes can form underground
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and open up to suck in everything lying on top of it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Unbeknown to the Shepherds,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46their house was sitting directly on one of these holes
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and was being held up by little more than a huge strip of sand.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Soon after Eve and Terry were first woken by strange noises,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56the emergency services turned up.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The fire brigade arrived about half past four.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03They'd made us leave the pavement
0:15:03 > 0:15:08and go into the road because they didn't know what was happening.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12The fire-fighters kept everyone out on the road
0:15:12 > 0:15:15until they could call out a building surveyor
0:15:15 > 0:15:18from the local council to assess the situation.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22'The borough surveyor came about seven.'
0:15:23 > 0:15:28He entered the property with Terry and the chief fire officer. They'd gone up the stairs.
0:15:28 > 0:15:35And they came out and said, "You've got five minutes to pick up what you can."
0:15:35 > 0:15:38What did you feel in that moment?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Nothing.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- Still the shock. - There's nothing you can do.
0:15:43 > 0:15:44I mean,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47we actually knew, once he said that,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49that the house was going to come down.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59There's that question that sometimes people play.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03"If your house was on fire, what would be the things you would save?"
0:16:03 > 0:16:07And you were really put in that position.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11"You're gonna lose your home. Go in. Five minutes."
0:16:11 > 0:16:13What on earth did you all get?
0:16:13 > 0:16:19Louise, my youngest daughter, went in and picked up my late mum's ashes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Underwear, clothes, a little bit of jewellery
0:16:23 > 0:16:27and stuff that the girls had done when they were smaller.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Jewellery you can replace,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31but my mum's ashes...
0:16:31 > 0:16:35You can't replace those, can you, if they went.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40Is that all you managed to get from a lifetime's-worth of possessions?
0:16:40 > 0:16:41That's hard.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The British acidic rainfall had worn away the chalk
0:16:48 > 0:16:50far down under the Shepherds' home.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55It couldn't hold up any more and the house was beginning to fall into a huge swallow hole.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59These underground cavities can go unnoticed for years
0:16:59 > 0:17:01until a trigger opens them up.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05The authorities could never tell the Shepherds exactly what caused the collapse.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10The ground was so precariously balanced on top of the giant hole beneath,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12that heavy rain, flash floods,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15drought or even a train rushing past
0:17:15 > 0:17:18could have triggered this type of subsidence.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Once you'd got all the stuff that you could out of the house, what happened?
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Nothing, really.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30A lot of noise, a lot of rumbling.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34So it's just a case of waiting.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Every time there was a rumble,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40something happened.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44And then you'd see a crack appear
0:17:44 > 0:17:47where the bricks had been dislodged.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55You'd look again and the drainpipe has moved.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Another rumble, a window is all lop-sided.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10And this went on for a couple of hours.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16By now, it was five-and-a-half hours
0:18:16 > 0:18:20since Eve and Terry were rudely awakened by strange noises.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22And the inevitable was about to happen.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28A neighbour took me in. Cup of coffee and that.
0:18:28 > 0:18:34Because they knew something was gonna happen
0:18:34 > 0:18:37because of how the house was falling.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41About 20 past, 25 past nine,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and then you heard an almighty bang.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46And that is when my neighbour said,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49opened the door she must have done,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51"The front of the house has gone."
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Like a house made of matchsticks,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Eve and Terry's home began to fall apart.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02The front facade collapsed and their living room and bedrooms were exposed.
0:19:07 > 0:19:13With the debris and their personal possessions sucked into the hole that had opened in the ground.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28By now, Eve plucked up the courage to take a look at what was going on.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34That's when I came out and saw the whole front and it carried on rumbling
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and every time a rumble,
0:19:36 > 0:19:41the hole seemed to appear, get bigger
0:19:41 > 0:19:42and bigger.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46There was no hope for the Shepherds' house.
0:19:46 > 0:19:52Together with their neighbours, they watched helplessly as it sank into the ground before their eyes.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57There was a loud crack and the corner of the house collapsed completely.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00You could see straight inside the house
0:20:00 > 0:20:03which was really quite scary at the time.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10It was more or less the whole lounge. The TV had gone into it.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12And an armchair had gone into it.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17So literally the hole was devouring your house.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Swallowing our house up.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23When it actually fell, you could see all through the ground floor
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and half of the top floor.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31You could see our bed hanging out in our bedroom
0:20:31 > 0:20:35and in the small bedroom there was a single bed hanging out.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Everything was just all tilted to one side.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41What was that like, to watch that?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Strange.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46As I said before, you can't stop it.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It's just something that happened
0:20:50 > 0:20:54and you've got to wait until it stops.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Coming up on Living Dangerously:
0:20:57 > 0:21:00After seeing their home being sucked into the earth,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05the Shepherds witness the rest of it being destroyed completely.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And could the weather affect the house where you live?
0:21:13 > 0:21:15We tell you what you need to know.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24In August 2004,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27one of the worst flash floods in recent British history
0:21:27 > 0:21:30devastated the Cornish village of Boscastle.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Homes, roads and businesses were destroyed
0:21:33 > 0:21:36and hundreds of lives put at risk.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Phone lines went down and power cut out.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40It was one of the worst disasters
0:21:40 > 0:21:45fire brigade deputy chief Ted Simpson had ever encountered.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48I got a briefing from the incident commander
0:21:48 > 0:21:50who told me the situation.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52He told me how bad it was,
0:21:52 > 0:21:53the scale of the operation.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Houses were collapsing around fire-fighters and residents,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01there were about six helicopters in the air, plucking people off roofs.
0:22:01 > 0:22:07The rescue operation was in full swing but the Upton family had become separated.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Barbara's son John was stranded on the top of the family car
0:22:11 > 0:22:13in a flooded car park,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and her husband Tony was on his way to find him.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19As Barbara waited anxiously for them to return,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22she had no idea whether they were even still alive.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'None of us knew how this was going to end.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29'We didn't know where we were going to go.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I didn't know what I personally was going to do.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I didn't know where my husband or son were.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I didn't know whether anyone might lose their life, in fact,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42because it was that scary.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Dad Tony had managed to fight his way through the floods
0:22:45 > 0:22:49to his parked car where he was reunited with his son, John.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52They'd been wading through the water onto higher ground.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Meanwhile, on the other side of town,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Mum Barbara was about to witness the most terrifying scenes
0:22:59 > 0:23:02that would leave her fearing even more for her family.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06And then vehicles began to rush past.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12She was fraught with worry that the family car could be swept down the river
0:23:12 > 0:23:14with her son John trapped inside it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17The powers of nature had turned on this tiny village.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21By now the flash flooding in Boscastle was wreaking havoc
0:23:21 > 0:23:23throughout the town.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Over 100 cars were swept away
0:23:25 > 0:23:28and 32 ended up in the open sea.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34It was a very anxious time.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38"Am I going to see my son, at 14,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41"be washed away in my vehicle?"
0:23:41 > 0:23:44I think that's one of the reasons why I didn't move.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46I was transfixed to the spot
0:23:46 > 0:23:49because I felt I needed to know, one way or the other,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51what had happened to my own son.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55But things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse for John and Tony
0:23:55 > 0:23:57in the waterlogged car park.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Due to rising flood waters, father and son had become separated again.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05John had to take refuge on another car roof
0:24:05 > 0:24:08while Tony on safe ground was left powerless to help.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11In this situation where all the water was coming down,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14you can't do anything. You can't fight it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Once you've got something which is getting on about knee height,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22you don't have a... You don't have much of a chance
0:24:22 > 0:24:26with water travelling at that speed.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29But luckily, help was at hand.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Emergency vehicles and rescue helicopters raced to the scene.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40In the nick of time, the fire brigade fought their way through the floods
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and joined forces with local bystanders to get to John.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48They made a human chain, there must have been 14 or 15 of them.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52They managed to reach the car and they grabbed me and my bag
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and they passed me along each other
0:24:55 > 0:24:58until I was on solid, dry ground.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02With Tony and John now safe, their thoughts turned to Barbara.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09The one thing that really hit me was, "Where's my mum?"
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Your mum's always there for you, and she wasn't. I didn't know where she was.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It was three hours since the river burst its banks
0:25:17 > 0:25:21and the storms were finally showing signs of receding as the evening began.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26John and Tony were still fretting about Barbara's wellbeing.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28But back in the centre of the village,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Barbara was benefitting from the kindness of fellow holidaymakers
0:25:32 > 0:25:35who offered her a bed in their rented accommodation
0:25:35 > 0:25:38outside the reach of the flood.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42The lady, Patsy, who I'd been talking to suggested I go back with them.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44There was nothing we could do there.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49Everyone was tired and exhausted and in a state of shock.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53And I think I just followed.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56And they took me in for the night.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01They made sure I'd got a change of clothing and that sort of thing.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05As police and the fire brigade carried on working
0:26:05 > 0:26:07to bring any casualties to safety,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10shelters for the survivors sprang up around the town.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13It was basically a case of staying there
0:26:13 > 0:26:18and waiting for any word if anybody had heard where my mum was.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21That was the worst part, the waiting.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23The waiting really gets to you.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Taking refuge in a local leisure centre,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28John and Tony faced a long night,
0:26:28 > 0:26:33frantic with worry that Barbara may have been swept away and killed in the flood.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38It was comforting to be around other people who'd been in the same situation.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41We could comfort each other, tell each other stories
0:26:41 > 0:26:46and, you know, just relax in the fact that you're not on your own.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50There are other people going through the same thing as you.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53And that did give you strength when you were waiting.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56When I tried to find out what was going on,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00it proved to be impossible for quite a long time.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02There were no landlines available.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05There was no network for mobile phones.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11So there was a sense of time stopping, really,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15because there was no-one I could talk to about what was going on.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20I couldn't find out where the people on the other side of the village had gone or been taken.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26So it was just waiting and waiting for time to pass till we could find out something.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30With hundreds homeless but thankfully safe and dry,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33the potential scale of the disaster was still hitting home
0:27:33 > 0:27:35for the emergency services.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41As nightfall approached, I still had not one victim of this incident.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44But I was worried there were many victims left trapped in buildings
0:27:44 > 0:27:47or trapped in the debris.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52So overnight I ordered on about 200 body bags because I feared the worst.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56As nightfall fell, we decided to suspend operations
0:27:56 > 0:27:58because it was just too hazardous.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05BARBARA: There wasn't a lot of sleep, I have to say.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10I recall sitting up in bed, thinking, praying,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13for my family.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17It was very, very nerve-wracking. I hardly got any sleep at all.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I couldn't rest.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21It was all playing in my mind. I'd shut my eyes
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and you'd hear the roaring of the water
0:28:24 > 0:28:28and you'd hear the helicopters going over, trying to look for people.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Coming up on Living Dangerously:
0:28:31 > 0:28:34after being separated by appalling flash flooding,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37the Upton family are finally reunited.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41But can they lay to rest the ghost of the Boscastle flood?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46It's a bit overwhelming, to say the least.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Back in Bromley, south London,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00and the wet British climate has had a devastating effect
0:29:00 > 0:29:03on the earth beneath Eve and Tony Shepherd's house.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07It's been literally consumed by a massive swallow hole.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10This subsidence was caused by years of acid rainfall,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13weakening chalk rock that lay beneath the house.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18And one cataclysmic morning in April 2006,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21the rock gave way, opening up a gaping cavity
0:29:21 > 0:29:24that swallowed everything on top of it.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29You could see all through the ground floor
0:29:29 > 0:29:31and half of the top floor.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34You could see our bed hanging out
0:29:34 > 0:29:37and everything was all tilted to one side.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42But it wasn't just Eve and Terry's property
0:29:42 > 0:29:45that the weather was ultimately responsible for wrecking.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Ten days after Eve and Terry's house started to collapse,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53their home and three neighbouring houses were demolished
0:29:53 > 0:29:55as all were deemed unsafe.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03This was their house.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Tests were done on the ground
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and the local authority decided to make it safe.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37They filled in the cavity to make it solid and laid down a concrete platform
0:30:37 > 0:30:39to secure house foundations.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44This enabled the four semi-detached properties to be rebuilt
0:30:44 > 0:30:46on exactly the same spot.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49But it wasn't until January 2008,
0:30:49 > 0:30:5217 months after they lost their house,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56that Eve and Terry were able to move into their brand-new home,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59a replica of what they'd loved before.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04But there are still reminders of what seemingly innocent British rainfall
0:31:04 > 0:31:06caused that fateful day.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11OK, so Eve, where did you first see the hole?
0:31:12 > 0:31:16The hole appeared when the front of the house dropped down.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21Then with every rumbling it just got bigger and bigger.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Really. And how far over did it spread?
0:31:24 > 0:31:28I suppose, say, where you are there.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- So this much?- A hole.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Wow!
0:31:32 > 0:31:34How deep was the hole?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37They said, from what they could see,
0:31:37 > 0:31:42- they reckoned about 20 foot it had stopped.- Goodness me!
0:31:42 > 0:31:45But everything was just piled on top of it
0:31:45 > 0:31:47so it could have been deeper.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49We don't know.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54Standing here, you wouldn't have an inkling that that carnage went on.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Though I have to say, it's just slightly uneven, isn't it?
0:31:58 > 0:32:03I don't know if I feel a little bit nervous standing there!
0:32:03 > 0:32:04Blame the builders!
0:32:05 > 0:32:10What happened to Eve and Terry's house is thankfully very unusual.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13But I'm meeting geologist Dr Tony Cooper
0:32:13 > 0:32:17to find out just how concerned we should all be.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Tony, I've just come from Eve's house.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24It is phenomenal, what has happened there.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26- Is it common?- From the point of view
0:32:26 > 0:32:29that we get one or two a year in the whole country
0:32:29 > 0:32:32that affect a property. It's that common.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36So for people that are watching now, should they be frightened?
0:32:36 > 0:32:40It does occur. It's not going to happen to everybody.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43You don't look around and see houses falling down.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46If you live on chalk or any of these soluble rocks,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48then it's wise to take precautions.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52If you get something like a burst water pipe or a leaking drain,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54get it fixed fairly quickly
0:32:54 > 0:32:57because you may or may not have a hole underneath your house
0:32:57 > 0:33:01and adding water and things like that to the ground
0:33:01 > 0:33:03can trigger off a collapse.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08So to be wise, make sure you don't lose water into the ground.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11If you've had a full survey done on your house,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13would all this sort of stuff come up?
0:33:13 > 0:33:17Well, the house-buyers' packs that get done these days
0:33:17 > 0:33:21do include searches of the geological conditions
0:33:21 > 0:33:25and that will say whether you've got soluble rocks under your house
0:33:25 > 0:33:29and to what degree the geologists have assessed that to be a problem.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36It's reassuring to know that you'd be extremely unlucky
0:33:36 > 0:33:39to encounter this kind of devastating subsidence,
0:33:39 > 0:33:44especially as severe as these examples from around the UK.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Incredibly, this ten-metre-wide crater
0:33:47 > 0:33:49opened up overnight.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52But what about the more familiar hairline cracks
0:33:52 > 0:33:55we see in our properties, caused either by soluble rocks
0:33:55 > 0:33:58or the rain-related shrinking and swelling of clay?
0:33:58 > 0:34:01If you think you've got subsidence,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05you need to check your insurance policy
0:34:05 > 0:34:09and then look to notify your insurers
0:34:09 > 0:34:11or, if you're still unsure,
0:34:11 > 0:34:15speak to a local structural engineer and get his advice.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18You need to remember that all buildings move
0:34:18 > 0:34:22and that small cracks are to be expected.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26Please, I don't want you to get worried about those fine cracks
0:34:26 > 0:34:29that appear in the summer and have gone by the end of the winter.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32They are to be expected in all houses.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41It's been three years since Eve and Terry saw their south London semi
0:34:41 > 0:34:43literally swallowed up by the earth.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Insured, they moved into rented accommodation
0:34:46 > 0:34:50while their house was rebuilt on the same spot.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Now happily settled in their new home,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Eve's giving me a guided tour.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59Eve, everything is absolutely pristine. It's gorgeous now,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01isn't it?
0:35:01 > 0:35:05- Can we have a look in the kitchen? - Sure.- I love looking at kitchens!
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Oh, isn't it lovely! It's so light and airy.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- Is this your dream kitchen now? - Yes, it is.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13It's absolutely lovely.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- And this is your bedroom? - Yes, that's our bedroom.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20- All pristine again. - It's nice and comfortable.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23It's what it should be.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27It was good to see this plucky lady back in a home she could be proud of
0:35:27 > 0:35:30after the nightmare she'd been through.
0:35:30 > 0:35:36It shouldn't happen, but it did. There was nothing we could do to stop it.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39And our main concern
0:35:39 > 0:35:43was nobody got hurt.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Everything else can be rebuilt.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Who would have thought that even seemingly innocent rain
0:35:55 > 0:36:00could cause such havoc? You can never predict where the weather will strike next.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09In one of the worst British natural disasters in recent times,
0:36:09 > 0:36:15a freak flash flood hit the Cornish village Boscastle in August 2004,
0:36:15 > 0:36:18leaving complete devastation in its wake
0:36:18 > 0:36:21and separating Barbara Upton from her husband and son.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25After a difficult night with fellow holidaymakers Mike and Patsy,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29Barbara still had no idea whether her family were still alive.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33Luckily, the next morning brought heartening news.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Many people had been taken to the local sports centre
0:36:36 > 0:36:38and they stayed there overnight.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43And eventually someone told us that John and Tony were there.
0:36:43 > 0:36:48It was quite a while before we could actually get out of the village.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50No-one was being allowed in or out.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54So about lunch time, we were able to leave.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59Michael and Patsy took me in their car to the sports centre.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05It was about 24 hours before we found out where she was.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Then it was another seven or eight hours before she got brought to us.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14That was the worst part, knowing she was all right, but waiting for her to come.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19When we arrived, there were several people milling about outside.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22We pulled up and I just got out of the car.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Somebody must have shouted, "John and Tony".
0:37:27 > 0:37:31They came rushing out and there were hugs all round.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33I've never been so happy in my life.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36I've always been a Mummy's boy, I must admit,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40but seeing her and giving her a big hug was the best thing ever.
0:37:40 > 0:37:41It's a good feeling!
0:37:41 > 0:37:46Yeah, it's a good feeling to be back together again.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52When I saw Tony and John again,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56the first feeling was a sense of immense relief.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59"Thank God they're all right. We're all together."
0:37:59 > 0:38:03Also, still a sense of shock
0:38:03 > 0:38:08that somehow this lovely little village had been absolutely devastated.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12All we wanted to do was go back to our little cottage and be quiet
0:38:12 > 0:38:16and reflect, really, and be thankful
0:38:16 > 0:38:18that we were all together again.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22That day, Boscastle woke up to utter devastation
0:38:22 > 0:38:24after being beaten into submission
0:38:24 > 0:38:28by some of the worst floods ever seen in Britain in living memory.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33100 homes were affected, with four being washed away altogether
0:38:33 > 0:38:36by over 400 million gallons of water
0:38:36 > 0:38:38rampaging through the village.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41But despite all the damaged property and vehicles,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44miraculously no-one was seriously injured
0:38:44 > 0:38:48and the majority of missing people were reunited with their families
0:38:48 > 0:38:50the next day.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53However, the people of Boscastle had a long way to go
0:38:53 > 0:38:55to rebuild their lives.
0:38:59 > 0:39:05Thankfully, Boscastle has only a one in 400 chance of such a flood happening again.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09But with millions of us living in flood risk areas,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12how can we protect our homes and families?
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- MAN:- If your house is at flood risk, you can register to receive a flood warning
0:39:16 > 0:39:20if there's a flood warning service for that location.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22A good idea is to prepare a flood plan,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25so have things in place for you and your family to do
0:39:25 > 0:39:29if you receive a flood warning or think your house is going to flood.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33It might be to remove your belongings out of harm's way
0:39:33 > 0:39:36to higher ground. Get your medication ready.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41All the things you think if your house is gonna flood you need to have quickly.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Today, the Upton family are returning to Boscastle for the first time.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53It's been five years since they were caught in the horrifying floods
0:39:53 > 0:39:58and finally the time is right to confront difficult memories.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03Going back to Boscastle, I think, will be quite cathartic.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06There is a ghost, I think, that needs to be laid
0:40:06 > 0:40:09and I'm hoping that going back will do that.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13We've not been to Cornwall for five years
0:40:13 > 0:40:17and I'm looking forward to seeing what they've done with the village.
0:40:17 > 0:40:24Because my last memory is of broken roads, wrecked houses and shops,
0:40:24 > 0:40:29and it'll be good to see it cleaned up and looking pretty again.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- All right?- Yes! All right.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41'I'd like to go back, just to try and put it behind me.'
0:40:41 > 0:40:44It'll be like I can close that chapter of my life
0:40:44 > 0:40:49'and live with it because every now and again I will think about it
0:40:49 > 0:40:53'and it is quite overwhelming,'
0:40:53 > 0:40:55just thinking about all that water.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03The car park where John narrowly avoided being swept out to sea
0:41:03 > 0:41:05looks very different in the sunlight.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08The car will have been virtually there.
0:41:10 > 0:41:17So when I came out, all of this, all of it was just water.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21It must have been up to there
0:41:21 > 0:41:23at the time of when I got on the car.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26And, um, it's unreal,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30actually imagining that here now.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35It just seems... It just seems unfeasible.
0:41:43 > 0:41:49You never know how something like this is gonna affect you until you're actually where it happened.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52And, um, it's a bit overwhelming,
0:41:52 > 0:41:54to say the least.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I just... Yeah. Sorry.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10The people of Boscastle have rallied
0:42:10 > 0:42:13and the village is now unrecognisable
0:42:13 > 0:42:15from those scenes of chaos.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Pubs are full, shopkeepers busy
0:42:18 > 0:42:20and visitors flock.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Like any victim of the incredible flash floods that summer day,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27the Upton family will never forget what damage the weather can do.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32But for now, it's just good to see Boscastle up and running again.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35- It looks good now. - It does look good.
0:42:35 > 0:42:36It's beautiful again.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38And the sun is shining.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40It's not raining.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43- No.- Yeah, much nicer.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Thankfully, all these people survived Britain's extreme weather.
0:42:55 > 0:43:01So join us next time for more amazing true stories on Living Dangerously.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd