Lower Gardens in Bournemouth
Now when you think about the fire brigade, I would imagine that your mind first jumps to a big towering inferno, lots of smoke and heat and people needing rescuing from the flames. Well, that is definitely a big part of their job, but today in not-so-sunny Dorset, where I reside, they were being called out for an entirely different reason.
Torrential rain, thunder and lightning hit my adopted home county today, resulting in flash floods, damage to property and travel chaos. The rain was so heavy, that one road actually split, due to the pressure of the water running through the drains beneath it.
So, although you normally associate the fire department with, well…fires, in this case, they were helping out in flooding situations – not what you would normally associate with the department and their vast array of fire safety equipment. Every fire crew in Dorset and neighbouring Hampshire was either on standby, or actually attending a flooding incident this morning.
The Dorset Fire and Rescue Service received 50 calls within half and hour, and calls were still coming in thick and fast. Fire fighters attended many incidents in the county, including large businesses such as Asda, House of Fraser, and even the Russell Cotes Museum.
Fire crews were called to the Bournemouth Nuffied Hospital, where patients had to be evacuated after a ceiling collapsed due to the weight of the rain water.
The fire service advised that if flood water is entering your home, you turn off the electricity at the mains, and move to higher rooms in the house. You should take any precious objects with you where possible, and if water is entering the house, you should ring the fire brigade. Although it may take a while for them to get to you in situations like this, they will get there as soon as they can.
So, Dorset is a very soggy place today. The Lower Gardens in Bournemouth are completely covered in water, and the Bournemouth Air Festival which was due to start today has had all events cancelled for the day. Hopefully things will dry out soon, but just remember, your friendly fire department are always there in wet or dry situations!
