:00:00. > :00:07.rise. That is all
:00:08. > :00:12.Good evening. Tonight, we bring you the latest from Dawlish. One of the
:00:13. > :00:16.many communities across the south west caught in the eye of one of the
:00:17. > :00:19.most ferocious storms in years. Tonight, it's left the regions main
:00:20. > :00:23.railway line suspended in mid air, after a huge section of sea wall was
:00:24. > :00:25.washed away. There are now serious concerns about the future of the
:00:26. > :00:28.line. Elsewhere, homes in the village of
:00:29. > :00:31.Kingsand were evacuated as two buildings were left perilously close
:00:32. > :00:34.to collapsing into the sea, including the famous Clocktower.
:00:35. > :00:37.Meanwhile, 50 people were forced to leave their homes off the Somerset
:00:38. > :00:40.Levels, as the flood water there continues to rise and thousands of
:00:41. > :00:59.homes right across the region are still without power.
:01:00. > :01:04.One of the most violent storms in years. Here, in Dawlish, the sea
:01:05. > :01:07.wall gave way. The region's main rail line is completely cut off
:01:08. > :01:10.tonight with a section of track suspended in mid air, after the sea
:01:11. > :01:23.wall underneath collapsed in Dawlish. It's unclear when the mind
:01:24. > :01:27.reopened. `` when the line will reopen.
:01:28. > :01:31.A destructive mix of wind, wave and tide struck the South West, and it
:01:32. > :01:34.was Dawlish at the eye of the storm. 50 metres of sea wall was washed
:01:35. > :01:39.away ` the ballast for the railway line with it. Around 50 homes were
:01:40. > :01:43.undermined and evacuated. For many, the dreaded knock at the door coming
:01:44. > :01:47.in the middle of the night. It's quite scary because we were
:01:48. > :01:51.just left with the clothes on our back. I respect what they are doing.
:01:52. > :01:56.I don't want to go in my house and try to get stuff unless it's safe.
:01:57. > :02:00.We were lucky but I never thought that wall would go ` ever. And it's
:02:01. > :02:09.gone. Who knows what's going to happen now. We're lucky.
:02:10. > :02:14.Local people spoke of never having seen such violent seas. An emergency
:02:15. > :02:18.refuge was set up at Dawlish leisure centre, for those forced out of
:02:19. > :02:21.their homes by the storm. It was scary and traumatic, because
:02:22. > :02:26.it's your home where all your stuff is. You are also worried about your
:02:27. > :02:33.neighbours that you live around, and people's cars down the front. I was
:02:34. > :02:37.in a bit of a state, but he was trying to keep me calm. We have a
:02:38. > :02:39.little kitten as well, and I was worried about her.
:02:40. > :02:43.Dawlish Railway Station was also damaged by the force of the weather.
:02:44. > :02:46.Ballast and debris was driven into the town centre. The waves caused
:02:47. > :02:51.flooding of many roads. Two people had to be rescued from a car stuck
:02:52. > :02:53.in floodwater. The police declared a major incident, and praised the
:02:54. > :02:57.public for their help in responding to the emergency.
:02:58. > :03:02.We are very fortunate that the local community is fantastic. The local
:03:03. > :03:09.support has been superb, with many offers of help and support.
:03:10. > :03:11.Housing teams have spent much of the date seeking emergency accommodation
:03:12. > :03:19.for people evacuated from their homes. Around 25 families have been
:03:20. > :03:22.forced out. Officially, the position is that
:03:23. > :03:25.houses here are being assessed for their safety, but residents fear
:03:26. > :03:31.they will not be returning to their homes. Many expect they will have to
:03:32. > :03:35.be abandoned to the sea. As for the main rail line, into and out of much
:03:36. > :03:39.of Devon and all of Cornwall ` Network Rail could not say how long
:03:40. > :03:42.it will be closed for, except that they expected to be six weeks at
:03:43. > :03:57.least.e have declared the situation a major incident.
:03:58. > :04:04.Are lots of houses were damaged here as well. Councillor Phil Vogel is
:04:05. > :04:11.here with me. How are you doing with re`homing these people?
:04:12. > :04:16.56 homes were evacuated, and we've been able to reach 33 of those homes
:04:17. > :04:23.and spoken with the residents. Tonight, 14 of the homes have been
:04:24. > :04:28.rehoused. Due to the incredible thanks and voluntary services from
:04:29. > :04:37.all over the town, food and gifts to help those people affected. We will
:04:38. > :04:45.contact people tomorrow to make another assessments. Meanwhile,
:04:46. > :04:51.building control have been out and are helping.
:04:52. > :04:57.How quickly will people be able to get back into their homes?
:04:58. > :05:03.It needs another assessments tomorrow morning, after another
:05:04. > :05:08.difficult high tide tonight. We have said that it's better that nobody
:05:09. > :05:15.goes back until tomorrow, and a full assessment can be made once network
:05:16. > :05:20.rail has given us their opinions. We'll let you get back to work.
:05:21. > :05:23.People in the coastal community of Kingsand in Cornwall have been
:05:24. > :05:26.describing the moment that last night's storm caused waves to crash
:05:27. > :05:30.through doors and windows of seafront homes. One local councillor
:05:31. > :05:34.said if it wasn't for the quick reaction of emergency services,
:05:35. > :05:42.lives could have been lost. John Danks has this report.
:05:43. > :05:46.One of the most terrifying nights of their life ` that's how one Kingsand
:05:47. > :05:49.residents described the moment huge waves tore into this coastal
:05:50. > :05:53.community. There was a roar and a bang like
:05:54. > :05:58.artillery going off. The whole door just came off, and flew up in the
:05:59. > :06:02.air. It came down into the water, and the sea just piled into the
:06:03. > :06:06.house. My father was knocked to the ground, into the water, and dragged
:06:07. > :06:10.around in the hall. I picked him up and got him upstairs, and then I
:06:11. > :06:17.called the fire brigade. The bottom of the house is completely wrecked.
:06:18. > :06:23.A number of seafront properties were engulfed by waves and debris. Around
:06:24. > :06:26.20 people were evacuated ` some with injuries. Without the swift reaction
:06:27. > :06:28.of emergency crews, some believe the situation could have been more
:06:29. > :06:32.serious. It was very coordinated.
:06:33. > :06:38.Coastguards, the Environment Agency, fire and rescue ` they were all on
:06:39. > :06:42.hand. We went house to house, and got people out at an early stage,
:06:43. > :06:48.and I think that was key. Had we wasted time there could have been
:06:49. > :06:51.fatalities. This is a good illustration of how
:06:52. > :06:55.powerful those waves were last night. This sea wall is a metre
:06:56. > :06:59.thick, and the top of it has been skimmed off.
:07:00. > :07:02.This morning saw further damage. The foundations of this clock tower were
:07:03. > :07:08.washed away, leaving the building dangerously exposed. A number of
:07:09. > :07:13.properties had windows smashed, and many experienced flooding.
:07:14. > :07:22.I had a starfish in my sitting room, and there's water dripping off the
:07:23. > :07:25.mantelpiece! People who own a holiday homes in
:07:26. > :07:28.the village travelled down to inspect the damage.
:07:29. > :07:33.There was debris everywhere and we weren't allowed to come down, so we
:07:34. > :07:35.had no idea what it was going to be like.
:07:36. > :07:44.It may have taken a beating, but residents say the community spirit
:07:45. > :07:47.is still strong. People in Somerset are being warned
:07:48. > :07:50.to leave their homes, this evening, as flood waters rise. Villages are
:07:51. > :07:54.being evacuated and a rest centre has been set up in North Petherton
:07:55. > :07:57.for families with nowhere to go. There are concerns in Taunton that
:07:58. > :08:32.the River Tone might burst its banks. Madeleine Ware reports.
:08:33. > :08:38.We seem to have some problem with Madden where's reports. If you are
:08:39. > :08:45.concerned for your safety, you are urged to call the police. In
:08:46. > :08:49.Porthleven this morning, at least six boats were sunk. A desperate
:08:50. > :09:19.rescue operation was then launched to get the remaining undamaged boat
:09:20. > :09:23.to safety. I've never seen it like this, as bad
:09:24. > :09:28.as that. And I was here for the storm in 1989 when we lost a road `
:09:29. > :09:32.it was nowhere near as bad as this. Even the harbour walls or flooding.
:09:33. > :09:34.I've never seen that in 50 years. It's just horrendous.
:09:35. > :09:37.There are much bigger and more expensive boats than mine that have
:09:38. > :09:43.sunk, so it's a disaster for everyone here.
:09:44. > :09:46.As the tide went out, everyone pulled together to winch and drag
:09:47. > :09:49.out as many boats as possible, before the high tide tonight.
:09:50. > :09:53.We have no bolts now, so we are completely open to the weather. We
:09:54. > :09:57.can't really wait for these boats to float again, because the surf coming
:09:58. > :10:01.in just sink the boat. We are just trying to make shift anything we
:10:02. > :10:05.can, to try and get as many of the boat as we can moved with 4x4s or
:10:06. > :10:09.tractors. High tide is at 9pm. For now, all
:10:10. > :10:22.this village can do is watch and wait.
:10:23. > :10:28.West Cornwall certainly bore the brunt of the storms begin with. Last
:10:29. > :10:35.night 's huge waves tour or holes in the sea wall from new Lynn rounds to
:10:36. > :10:38.the promenade in Penzance. At one stage, there was concern for a
:10:39. > :10:43.missing ten`year`old, who was eventually located.
:10:44. > :10:46.Eleanor Parkinson reports. As high tide hit this morning, the waves
:10:47. > :10:49.made their presence felt and caught some people off their guard. This
:10:50. > :10:51.morning, the huge waves were spectacular. Last night, combined
:10:52. > :10:56.with a southerly gale`force wind, they were destructive. This is just
:10:57. > :10:59.some of the damage that has been done overnight. Hundreds of these
:11:00. > :11:02.huge paving stones have been lifted up off the promenade and washed into
:11:03. > :11:06.the streets. This is quite spectacular, but it's
:11:07. > :11:11.a terrible shame about all the damage that has been done.
:11:12. > :11:15.I think last night got the brunt of it, but this morning the waves are
:11:16. > :11:19.going off behind us. I think it's going to be a bit more picturesque
:11:20. > :11:21.today, but there still seems to be quite a lot of devastation around on
:11:22. > :11:25.the front. This hole in the harbour wall in
:11:26. > :11:29.Newlyn, which went up yesterday, is now five times bigger. All the work
:11:30. > :11:32.men can do is fence it off. Meanwhile, the police are diverted
:11:33. > :11:35.to look for a 10`year`old boy, who went missing after he decided to go
:11:36. > :11:38.wave watching. He was eventually found, but police are asking
:11:39. > :11:41.everyone to take care. We've had a fair bit of flooding,
:11:42. > :11:45.with trees down and power cables affected. Some cars have been swept
:11:46. > :11:50.by the waves. There's a lot of disruption.
:11:51. > :11:53.These surfers decided to brave the conditions, and ride the waves just
:11:54. > :11:58.yards from the harbour wall. To me, it doesn't look safe out there.
:11:59. > :12:01.Well, there's not much of the storm left now, since last night. It's
:12:02. > :12:05.fine this morning. It's nice and clean out there now.
:12:06. > :12:09.Back on the seafront, the clearup begins so they can reopen the road
:12:10. > :12:26.to traffic. But they know they may soon have to do it all again.
:12:27. > :12:29.There is concern about the flood water is rising in Somerset. A rest
:12:30. > :12:34.and has been set up for families with nowhere to go will stop there
:12:35. > :12:45.is renewed concern about the river Tone bursting its banks. Is a last
:12:46. > :12:50.attempt to save what they can before leaving. With the help of
:12:51. > :12:56.neighbours, this woman is shifting valuables of her Flora. She also has
:12:57. > :13:07.a small holding here, with the gardener flooded. `` of her floor.
:13:08. > :13:13.We've got dogs out in the kennels and they're going. The cats will
:13:14. > :13:20.come with me to my daughters. How hard has this been for you? Really
:13:21. > :13:26.dreadful. It's like Chinese torture, because it gets closer and closer.
:13:27. > :13:32.She made the decision to go, but she was one of the few at that point.
:13:33. > :13:36.Most people were determined to stay. They were filling sandbags by the
:13:37. > :13:41.dozen. We've been told we might have to
:13:42. > :13:45.evacuate, we're not sure. It's not in the house at the moment. We're
:13:46. > :13:50.trying to batten down the hatches and see how things go.
:13:51. > :13:54.Police had been going door`to`door and advising people to leave, but
:13:55. > :14:04.this afternoon came a more dramatic morning.
:14:05. > :14:10.There's going to be a high tide after 10pm this evening. Combined
:14:11. > :14:14.with a high volume of water coming down the river and the heavy rain,
:14:15. > :14:22.there is going to be a topping of the parrots. As the afternoon wore
:14:23. > :14:28.on, more residents decided it was time to pack up and go.
:14:29. > :14:33.It seems there is no choice any more. We've got to go. Once that
:14:34. > :14:40.comes over the wall, there's no way of the flooding.
:14:41. > :14:45.Out for all those joining the queue to leave, there were others
:14:46. > :14:48.determined to day. Prepare to move upstairs and sit out, rather than
:14:49. > :15:02.leave their homes to the mercy of the water.
:15:03. > :15:06.People in Torcross were evacuated from their homes during last night's
:15:07. > :15:08.storm as gale force winds and large waves lashed houses. As Spotlight's
:15:09. > :15:11.Andy Breare reports, coastal communities across the whole of
:15:12. > :15:19.Devon and Dorset have been devastated by the power of the sea.
:15:20. > :15:23.They are used to the power of the sea here, but locals say last
:15:24. > :15:27.night's Stormont was the worst for more than 30 years. As waves
:15:28. > :15:37.battered the houses, coastguards decided to evacuate people. Around
:15:38. > :15:42.20 properties where affected. The wave knocked in the door. We
:15:43. > :15:47.were trying to rescue anything that within the part of the water when
:15:48. > :15:53.the front window blew in. The coastguards came and said that we
:15:54. > :15:57.had to evacuate. A lot of people couldn't or didn't
:15:58. > :16:01.want to get out, because the waves were coming over the tops of the
:16:02. > :16:09.buildings. But we managed to evacuate and nobody was hurt.
:16:10. > :16:14.Chairs from this waterfront pub were washed into the car park. Getting
:16:15. > :16:20.around has been difficult today, with roads turned into rivers. The
:16:21. > :16:27.storm has badly damaged the pier and the sea wall intimate. In Dorset,
:16:28. > :16:32.Portland was cut off. This caravan park was under water as the seed
:16:33. > :16:36.breached the flood bank. Back in tour across, houses have been
:16:37. > :16:42.boarded up as people start to assess the damage caused by the storm.
:16:43. > :16:49.I've never seen a storm do so much damage. One or two cracked window
:16:50. > :16:56.panes and things like that, but never the wide scale of destruction
:16:57. > :17:02.but last night produced. Coastguards remain here, as
:17:03. > :17:11.residents wonder if there will be more damage tonight at high tide.
:17:12. > :17:16.Portland in Dorset has effectively spent the day cut off. The sea has
:17:17. > :17:32.overtopped defences all along the coast, and properties in West Bay
:17:33. > :17:37.have flooded. Let's take a look at the situation
:17:38. > :17:43.here in Dawlish. The main rail line has been left hanging in midair.
:17:44. > :17:45.This is a picturesque route, but its proximity to the sea means it is
:17:46. > :17:52.becoming increasingly vulnerable to the weather. We were assessing the
:17:53. > :17:57.impact that the closure of this line will have in the region.
:17:58. > :18:02.The devastation of the track at Dawlish looks unprecedented. This
:18:03. > :18:03.line has often seen shutdowns with millions of pounds poured into
:18:04. > :18:09.regular maintenance and strengthening. But rail researcher
:18:10. > :18:16.at Plymouth University shows that the longest period of destruction on
:18:17. > :18:20.record with only 19 days. This destruction is likely to last at
:18:21. > :18:25.least several weeks. The results of the line closure at
:18:26. > :18:30.Dawlish a devastating. It's a great blow to commercial business trade.
:18:31. > :18:34.It is of great concern. Can the Prime Minister confirm that
:18:35. > :18:38.he is taking all action to get transport systems back in action? Is
:18:39. > :18:41.that he will be fast tracking a review of the funding for a
:18:42. > :18:47.breakwater to protect the railway line?
:18:48. > :18:51.Members across the house know that this is a vital artery across our
:18:52. > :18:55.country, and one of the most scenic and beautiful runway lines in our
:18:56. > :19:01.country. It's hugely disturbing what has happened.
:19:02. > :19:07.In the past, moving the line has been considered. In the late 1930s,
:19:08. > :19:13.the GWR wanted a new routes that would have veered in lands. War puts
:19:14. > :19:22.paid to that. There was a secondary line that connected Newton Abbot to
:19:23. > :19:27.Exeter. Starve remains for freight, reopening the rest has occasionally
:19:28. > :19:35.been suggested. If they reopen the line has long planned, it would
:19:36. > :19:43.reconnect Tavistock. All these options are far beyond current
:19:44. > :19:47.budgets. Joining me now is Patrick Hallgate
:19:48. > :19:54.from Network Rail ` Neil, what's the latest this evening?
:19:55. > :19:58.We've been down on the beach. There are four distinct areas of damage.
:19:59. > :20:03.It could take a significant number of weeks to compare.
:20:04. > :20:11.When will work start on the rebuilding? And when do you hope to
:20:12. > :20:16.have the line open again? We said this morning that it would
:20:17. > :20:19.be at least six weeks. Some of that really depends on when we can start,
:20:20. > :20:25.depending on the tides in the next few days.
:20:26. > :20:32.There is huge concerned that this is the final straw for this bit of
:20:33. > :20:37.track. `` huge concern. We will be working round`the`clock
:20:38. > :20:43.to get this line up and running. Is it practical?
:20:44. > :20:52.We'll do all we can to get it back as quickly as possible.
:20:53. > :21:02.There have been several high`level meetings today. The Prime Minister
:21:03. > :21:06.chaired an emergency COBRA this afternoon. And, while we're on air,
:21:07. > :21:09.many of the region's MPs are meeting the Transport Secretary to demand
:21:10. > :21:11.urgent action here in Dawlish. Our Political Editor Martyn Oates joins
:21:12. > :21:13.us now live from Westminster. Martyn, what's happened this
:21:14. > :21:15.afternoon? The track, the Prime Minister said
:21:16. > :21:19.he was determined to find a solution to fix the problem. What that
:21:20. > :21:27.actually means remains to be seen. If the alternative is the bass,
:21:28. > :21:35.that'll mean very delayed journeys quite some time. And what about this
:21:36. > :21:37.other meeting with the transport secretary?)
:21:38. > :21:42.that was organised by the Southwest Devon MP Gary Streeter. He was
:21:43. > :21:48.trying to get all the local MPs along to that. MPs from all parties
:21:49. > :21:52.across the region are absolutely furious about this, and demanding
:21:53. > :21:56.immediate action to prepare it in the short`term. Increasing numbers
:21:57. > :22:01.of people are saying that we need to be looking at an inland option
:22:02. > :22:06.instead. Thank you very much. Let's find out
:22:07. > :22:12.what the weather has in store for us.
:22:13. > :22:19.Good evening. There is some good news, because the winds are already
:22:20. > :22:22.dying down. They will continue to ease overnight, but we have more
:22:23. > :22:26.rain in the forecast. That's something we haven't really
:22:27. > :22:31.highlighted, because we've had all the problems with the coasts. The
:22:32. > :22:35.rain has been quite heavy too. There is more about wet weather to come
:22:36. > :22:43.tomorrow. These are the strongest gusts that we've recorded ` the
:22:44. > :22:49.highest was 92 mph. All of us are seeing gusts of wind in excess of 65
:22:50. > :22:53.mph. Slightly less inland. Names being from the warnings we have in
:22:54. > :23:03.force after rain. Heavy rain tomorrow which will compound the we
:23:04. > :23:05.already have. One area of low pressure is disappearing northwards.
:23:06. > :23:11.We get another one coming into following. That area of low pressure
:23:12. > :23:15.will throw a lot of wet weather towards us through the day tomorrow.
:23:16. > :23:20.Some of the rainy afternoon could be heavy. That moves out of the way,
:23:21. > :23:24.and for much of Friday there is some dry weather. There are lighter
:23:25. > :23:28.winds, so it is the best day of this week. This is a new area of low
:23:29. > :23:32.pressure, and you don't need me to tell you how tightly packed those as
:23:33. > :23:35.the bars are. It's another very windy spell of weather on Friday
:23:36. > :23:40.night and into the start of the weekend. There are some showers
:23:41. > :23:45.dotted around, but most of those will fade away. Later on tonight,
:23:46. > :23:50.those winds will drop to. It's good news all round tonight. Showery
:23:51. > :23:55.activity fading away. By the morning, it's mostly dry, but not
:23:56. > :24:01.particularly cold. Temperatures down to six or seven degrees. Tomorrow,
:24:02. > :24:12.at least for the morning, it's dry, but the rain does this settle in. ``
:24:13. > :24:16.the rain does set in. The winds are mostly from the South or Southeast,
:24:17. > :24:21.but nowhere near the strength we've seen recently. We may have a problem
:24:22. > :24:26.with winds from a different direction ` nor the winds, which
:24:27. > :24:33.could be dusting to 60 mph. `` northern winds. Temperatures
:24:34. > :24:37.tomorrow of nine or 10 degrees. Not feeling particularly warm because of
:24:38. > :24:40.the rain. And the Isles of Scilly, less windy. And the important times
:24:41. > :24:54.of high water are: for our surfers, the waves will be
:24:55. > :25:01.massive and they are still very big overnight. They do come out dumb
:25:02. > :25:13.down a bit. Still very big and dangerous. Anywhere from six to nine
:25:14. > :25:17.feet. We have warnings in force for more wind and rain overnight on
:25:18. > :25:20.Friday and Saturday. We have warnings on Saturday for more heavy
:25:21. > :25:23.rain and strong winds. Perhaps quieter on Sunday for top but still
:25:24. > :25:37.very windy conditions. Thank you. That it is this Wednesday
:25:38. > :25:43.night. The weather has yet again dominated our headlines. BBC Radio
:25:44. > :25:46.Devon and Cornwall Police special programmes into the early hours to
:25:47. > :25:48.keep you updated. We'll leave you with a look at the impact the storm
:25:49. > :26:39.has had on the Southwest. NICK CLEGG: Are you in,
:26:40. > :26:41.or are you out? That's the real question at stake at
:26:42. > :26:48.the European elections on May 2 nd. even though that would wreck
:26:49. > :26:55.the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives are now
:26:56. > :26:59.openly flirting with exit, and the Labour Party, well, they
:27:00. > :27:01.just don't have the courage they wouldn't lift a finger
:27:02. > :27:09.to help keep Britain in the EU So I'm asking you
:27:10. > :27:12.to vote for the Liberal Democrats, in for the sake of British
:27:13. > :27:20.prosperity and jobs. I'm in because we set
:27:21. > :27:24.the global standards 95% of everything we use, we eat we
:27:25. > :27:30.heat ourselves in, comes in by sea.