12/02/2014 BBC Points West

heading our way and wet and windy again. That is all from

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. We're live on the

Somerset Levels as the flooding crisis deepens.

After seven weeks, the weather got even worse today, much to the

despair of those clinging on to dry land.

Torrential rain and 70mph winds dump tonnes of extra water on a landscape

that's already sodden. We meet a family hoping for the best

but fearing the worst as the elements combine against them. I

have been through every single emotion in these last few days. I

have cried, laughed, felt physically sick with stress.

The farmers at the end of their tether ` how long can they survive?

And swaying in the gale ` the Clifton Suspension Bridge closed for

the first time due to high winds whipping up the Avon Gorge.

Hello ` from a windswept Somerset after yet another day of appalling

weather. We are in the village of Burrowbridge, less than ten miles

from the M5, yet a world away from normal life. This is a community

under siege. At the mercy of the elements. And the weather Gods are

not being kind. We drove here on the last open road through miles of

flooded farmland. The River Parrott is behind us ` and they have built

up the banks with sandbags in a last ditch attempt to save the pub and

the homes around here. Other places haven't been as lucky ` the village

of North Curry four miles away is under a foot of water ` although as

we speak ` no properties have gone under. It's apparent that the

emergency is far from over. Andrew Plant has our first report.

A car long since claimed by the water. This morning in the village

of Long Load. The wind whipped these floods into waves. Looking out to

sea, oh dear me. For locals like Ken, the daily ride has been cut

short. This pause in normal life is now part of the routine. What is

your normal route? I normally go down by the River parrot. But this

is as far as I'm going. As winds hit more than 60 mph in the West. The

trees began to fall. The driver of this lorry on the A39 somehow

escaping without being seriously hurt. Filmed on a phone. In Bristol

the suspension bridge quivered. The engineering creaked. In Somerset `

the sandbagging ` the shoring up of these swollen rivers continued. As

those living with this water looked uneasily on. This driving wind and

rain is extremely bad news. That village a couple of miles across the

water, the properties again to flood about 12 hours after the rains come

down. Rescue teams aware that more rain here means more flooding from

water with nowhere to go. Normally, the emergency phase is over in only

a few days. We have been sustaining that for a number of weeks. As you

can see, it is still raining. In some places it has begun to sink

back. But no sense yet in addressing the damage because no`one can say it

won't soon come back. The wind is picking up again. I am

joined by Craig Woolhouse, from the Environment Agency. They had if

there difficult job today. Where is all that rain going to go? It is

coming down the River parrot in particular, which took most of the

rainfall today. We see the rain falls slowly rising and we see more

rainfall coming in on Friday. It is a difficult situation on the moors

and levels. There are one or two things we are planning at the moment

which we are trying to put in place and we hope those will come on

stream in the next couple of days. I you expecting more properties to

flood? We have had a couple flood but it is likely that more well We

are putting in a big pumping operation to improve the capacity

and the throughput of water in the river system and take away some of

the pressure on flooded properties. Driving here today, and seeing the

sheer expanse of flooded areas, is there much that human beings can do

until the rain actually lets up We need the weather to let up. We have

to see the water drain away over the coming weeks. It will be weeks

before we can get the water away. We have the pump stations and plays

every day of the year but we have brought in extra capacity. This

weekend, we hope to be pumping more down into the King Sedgemore drain

and out into the River parrot further downstream. That'll

hopefully get as to draw level down quicker. The prime ministers said

money was no object when it came to the flooding, have you now got the

people and machinery? We have brought pumps over from Holland

bigger pumps that we have `` then we have seen in this country. We are

trying to help the situation. Thank you very much indeed. We are seeing

you working very hard. Let's go inside the pub.

I am in the King Alfred Inn in Boroughbridge. This is the hub of

the local community. All the local communities are on the other side,

talking about what they have done. This is also the headquarters for

Flooding on the Levels Action Group. We met last week, Rebecca in

Moorland. It is a different picture. Completely different. Last Tuesday

was a normal night. We had a Flooding on the Levels Action Group

meeting and then we had a police helicopter is telling us we had to

evacuate. Tell us what your groupies? It is an action group not

a charity. We highlighted our campaign to get the rivers dredged

and then it became an information point about road closures. You have

managed to do incredible things You have moved cattle, got lorries in.

We have coordinated the movement of 850 cattle on Thursday. We had a

convoy of 15 cat `` tractors and trains moving cattle. Otherwise they

would have been drowned. I have noticed your timeline is as full of

banks as it is for gas additives of `` your timeline is as full of banks

as with calls for help. We have been fighting over the last few days It

has been a complete emergency situation. The agencies have not

been quick enough to respond. We are managing quite well but we are now

talking to Somerset County Council and hopefully they will be able to

take up some of the slack. You are doing this out of your own time

this is your life? Yes, my life has totally changed. We were evacuated

on Wednesday. Our house and village of flooded. A complete change of

life. And there have been outpourings from our viewers. Our

reporter has been in Moorland. This is the sixth day that

volunteers have delivered sandbags. They are headed to the only visible

bit of road in Moorland village I haven't come to meet Angela

Greenway. The sandbags are keeping the water away from 14 houses which

are surrounded by flooding on three sides. It is a nightmare. People

have waded through mud and water to get to us. The idea is to build a

wall here. We have 5000 sandbags coming in. Most of the work has been

done by the people who live here. They have even putting in their own

pump. They feel they have been left on their own and the daily routine

of fighting the floods has taken its toll. I have been through every

emotion in these last few days. I have cried, laughed, felt physically

sick with stress. This is a crazy world at the moment. Do you want to

go to school? Yeah. Time for a quick cup of tea before the sandbags

arrive. Angela's daughter Georgie is not going to school for fear of

being cut off. The logistics of getting from a to B are a nightmare.

I am scared because you don't know what is happening overnight. There

are some amazing donations. The Greenway's conservatory `` the

greenways' conservatory has turned into a distribution centre. She

shows me yet more donations. Get that into the freezer, and find out

who we can distribute it to. It is great because the guys working late

and villages hit the stew and take it out to them. `` and we can just

heat the stew. The last sandbags arrive. Time to get the neighbours

out to deliver them. They are determined to do battle with the

elements until the bitter end. I hope we reflect the community

spirit. It is easy for us to say that, but it is overwhelming. You

feel it. One man who knows more about it is Ravi Singh. He is from

Slough. We are from Slough. We are an international relief organisation

funded by the Sikh community. The organisation is Khalsa Aid. We

didn't take this seriously at first but then on radio five live we heard

about why `` people asking why international organisations were not

doing anything. But you only came for a day? We came for a day on

Saturday, and I'm still here. More people are coming tomorrow. The

whole community is together. You haven't stopped. This is a real

harbour. You took a minute to text your family and tell them you were

gay. `` this is a real centre. Yes, I did that. The problem here is that

the community has been left on their own. We are doing filling in. We are

filling a hundred tonnes of sandbags. When Flooding on the

Levels Action Group's resents it was talking, that they want the council

to take over, I think it will be a huge mistake if they do not get the

local community to work with them. They did do so last night, but it is

a valid point. Dozens suck. `` Dozens of farms are

here on the Levels. As the water rose we witnessed

frantic scenes as many heartbroken farmers had to move their cows to

save them from drowning. Now with their fields under water, how are

they managing to survive? We took wildlife expert Mike Dilger to meet

some of them. I regularly come down to the

Somerset levels to spot wildlife. Down there is a nature reserve I

know really well. This time of year, I would expect to see thousands of

waders from all over Europe. All I can see is water. This

transformation over such a short space of time has had a devastating

impact on the animals and the people who work with them. In the valley

behind this village, Stokes and Gregory, this is a farm. This is

higher than it has ever been, ever recorded on West Sedgemoor.

Fortunately for you, you have high land and you have been able to take

cattle and cattle from further afield. Yes, the actual farm

buildings are all up I so that is great. And we have managed to take

some other farmers animals whose whole farm has become inundated But

for us, the land being inundated means there is a longer term

effects. Water may be the initial immediate problem but nobody knows

what they can dish and of the soil will be afterwards or how long the

water will take to recede. There are so many pumps working round the

clock to drain the Levels which are still not scratching the surface. A

lot of the farmers are saying that the water is still rising. We have

never seen it like this. In 60 years, we have never seen it. Tony

David's whole world is underwater. Home and farm inundated. `` Tony

David's. We will struggle. I the National Farmers Union supporting

you? Me and my father was talking about that. He is so disgusted with

him `` with them. We have had one phone call but no back`up. They have

had no help with the dredging. They haven't done anything for us. Tony

thinks it might be two months before he can return to its farm but it

might be longer before you can find out the quality of the soil he will

be left with. Strong criticism there. I will be

talking to the National Farmers Union. But first, we thought we

would show you this place in daylight. This is the main road into

Burrowbridge. Covered in water. And the waves are coming in. It is like

being on the beach. No wonder the people are so fearful about what

lies ahead. John Hebditch from the National Farmers Union is with me.

Some criticism of your organisation. Is it fair? I feel very sorry for

the individuals involved and we are doing our best. We have agents

working very hard to process claims and to organise fodder banks and

accommodation for cattle and sheep. But seven weeks on, this crisis is

clearly not over. We can't even see the beginning of the end. What is

the future hold for farmers? I think the future is quite grim and

everything that you can see, we should be grass, will be dead. It

will have to be re`sown, restarted. It will have to be done out of a

pocket that is not having an income. So what are farmers going to do

However going to go? With difficulty. They will need help and

I hope the NFU will help them get money out of the government. Thank

you for coming here today, by tractor! Thank you.

I know that is hard to hear and I can't really add to the good news at

the moment. I have come upstairs to the pub. The reason is it `` the

reason it is not good news is that there are other places that of

flooding. . In Gloucestershire there are now 14 flood warnings in place

and there are fears tomorrow ` after another day of rain ` some homes

could begin to flood. With the latest, here's Steve Knibbs.

This was a riverside caravan park ` now part of the river ` the

electrical hook ups poke out of the water in the distance. With the

Severn expected to rise ` the owners are once again on edge. Just packing

an overnight bag in case we do have to move out. The moment we think we

are almost safe, `` at the moment, we think we almost say. But not 100%

certain. You have to take each hour it comes. This is an area well used

to battening down the hatches. In Longford people are ready well in

advance. People are coping well They know the score. They watch

television and they have experienced 2007 floods as well. And the

sandbags keep on coming ` well over 1,500 have been delivered this week

in Tewkesbury Borough alone. It is important that the filled bags are

going to the right people. We are delivering sandbags to vulnerable

people. But not all of them seem to be staying put. These are

replacements for ones that disappeared. There have been about

one tonne taken away, stolen. The emergency services are ready, too.

Today, fire crews trained to launch one of their boats in the choppy

swollen river at Gloucester ` with serious discussions taking place to

make sure the county is ready. Local resilience and protection teams are

looking at the contingency measures that will need to be put in place.

They are taking `` we want to take this opportunity to reassure people

we are doing all we can. And it s a good job the fire teams are well

trained ` this van driver on the Gloucestershire border had to be

rescued after thinking he'd make it along a flooded road next to the

River Wye. A risk that took up valuable time from the Welsh fire

crews sent in to get him. Let's bring you some other news

The former Bristol MP Tony Benn is seriously ill in hospital. The

88`year`old was admitted at the weekend. Tony Benn retired from

Parliament 13 years ago. Last October he gave television

interviews as the final instalment of his diaries was published. He

represented Bristol for 30 years, serving in two Labour governments.

Some sports news. Bristol City has become the first

football club in the UK to show off new rail seats ` which could allow

fans to stand at matches in the future. The club's hoping to install

some if the redevelopment of its current ground goes ahead this

summer. The idea of standing at matches has been contentious since

the Hillsborough disaster, but the club maintains the new rail seats

are safe. Two of Britain's best medal hopes at

the Winter Olympics will be competing tomorrow in the skeleton.

Lizzy Yarnold from Bath won this year's world cup series. She'll be

involved in the qualifying rounds along with current World Champion

Shelley Rudman from Pewsey. That is good news. If you want more today's

stories, you can watch Points West on the late bulletin. For now, back

to David. It is quite convivial at the bar in

the King Alfred. Nothing really prepares you from the chill that you

get from the floodwaters. Well in the last hour the first public

meeting about the flooding crisis in Somerset has got underway on the

outskirts of Bridgwater. Our reporter Scott Ellis is there.

A public meeting about to get underway in Bridgwater. A very small

turnout `` a very strong turnout. It is an opportunity for people to find

out what is being done to pump water away from the Moors. It means a

great deal to these people because many have been evacuated from their

homes in Moorland. They are very distressed and they want to know how

long it will be until that water is shifted and they can start to think

about moving back in and repairing their homes. It is a devastating

life experience. That's bad? Yes. There has been very little

communication. This is the sort of information being handed out. It

shows the extent of the album. The water is coming in this way. They

have built a dam to protect the south side of Bridgwater. This

pumping operation is going on outside. There is a map showing

where all the fault `` where all the pumps are working on the Levels

Some are not operating because of the bad weather. But you can see

that there is a huge turnout here. Several hundred people already. This

is a very critical time. People want to know how much longer before that

water starts receiving. The good news at the moment is that the water

on North Moore is holding. But more bad weather on the `` more bad

weather on the way. I joined now by David Heath, the MP

for Somerset and friends. `` Somerset and fruit. You have been

talking to the Prime Minister. We have got some money for farmers

that is good news. We have money for businesses. The rate rebate for the

time that the floods are on plus some deferred tax payments. But most

importantly, I got the finance minister `` I got an agreement to

meet me and my colleagues when we have a long`term plan which includes

dredging but also land management and possibly a sluice on the River

parrot barrage. We will go through it and make sure we get the cash to

do the job properly. The National Farmers Union told me that they are

worried about what happens when the water is gone. The land will be

dead, the animals will be disbursed, the farmers will have no business,

how will they survive? I hope this money will go some way to helping

them through a difficult period There is a loss of kindness, forage

is coming in from the other side of the country to help people feed

their animals. But there will be a difficulty because just like last

year, when the land was under water for a long time, there is no pastor,

we have not been able to drill. So farmers will not be able to carry on

their business. They will rely on this cash coming in but also, the

fact that the banks have agreed to be helpful as well. Banks are not

always helpful but they will be in this circumstance. I guess they are

in the centre of a national spotlight. But now the Thames Valley

is beginning to floods and that will take over at the top of the news

agenda. These people may be forgotten. They must not be. I have

a commitment from the Prime Minister. I think he is very engaged

with us here. It is what we have been arguing for four months. To

make `` we have been arguing for, for months. To make sure that we

have helped because the Somerset levels are a unique environment

Thank you for joining me in the pub this evening.

I have to say it was awful weather today. You know that as well as we

do. Now the weather. It wouldn't take much to have an

improvement in the weather compared to the atrocious British ``

conditions of today. It is a better day tomorrow but still blustery

There will also be showers around and some could be wintry in places.

Taking a retrospective look at the strength of the wind across the

West. These are the speeds. Look across to the mumbles on the south

side of Wales and close to 100 miles per hour. So we dodged a bullet in

terms of the position of that area of low pressure. It is still causing

chaos up in the north`west. Our next problem is the threat of hail, sleet

and snow tonight. We have a Met Office weather warning. It will be a

localised problem. Tomorrow, barring some showers, it will be a better

day. Nowhere near as windy. Shell is moving into night and they will show

a tendency to give some snow. After three centimetres of snow starting

to fall to the east of Bristol. Bath, North East Somerset, the M4

corridor. Perhaps a few other spots. It is difficult to localise until we

see is unfolding on the radar. It will be a cold night. Be wary of icy

stretches tomorrow. The wind is still a feature through the morning

but it will become less so in the afternoon. Certainly compared to

today. But a blustery day nonetheless. It will feel cold. At

least some sunshine to go with it. Temperatures tomorrow between 6

Celsius and seven Celsius. On Friday, further Met Office yellow

warning for rain and strong winds. You can see that low moving in from

the south`west. It is not good news. We are not shocked by that, but

thank you for the full cost. It is dying down, but still cold and

breezy. I had a dream that I had a bloke inside who dreamt about

sandbags! That is where we have to leave it tonight.

For people here,