British air force rescues 200 people from floodwaters in tourist region

200 in UK tourist region rescued from floodwaters

COCKERMOUTH, England — Britain’s air force and emergency workers using inflatable boats rescued about 200 people Friday as rising floodwaters caused widespread havoc in northern England’s picturesque Lake District. One police officer was missing after a bridge was washed away.

British soldiers were called in to conduct house-to-house searches and the air force deployed helicopters, dropping down and breaking through rooftops to winch people to safety.

About 960 homes were flooded, police in the northern region of Cumbria said.

Among the hardest hit communities was Cockermouth, a market town 330 miles (530 kilometers) northwest of London. The town sits at the junction of the rivers Cocker and Derwent and is known as the birthplace of poet William Wordsworth.

“It’s desperate,” hotel owner John Carlin told Britain’s Press Association. “The town center is completely flooded. The only people out there at the moment are the emergency services. The water is up to the waists of the firefighters.”

Floodwaters had stopped rising by the early morning hours Friday, giving rescuers a chance to reach trapped people by boat. Debris swirled around the boats as they pulled people to safety. More than 8 million people visit the Lake District National Park every year.

Forecasters said rainfall in the region of Cumbria was unprecedented, with parts of the county seeing 9.8 inches (25 centimeters) in some areas.

“It looks like a very historical event,” said Julian Mayes, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the BBC that flood defenses were meant to withstand a one-in-100-years flood — but could not cope with the volume of water.

“What we dealt with last night was probably more like one-in-a-1,000 (years), so even the very best defenses, if you have such quantities of rain in such a short space of time, can be over-topped,” he said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown that he had spoken to Cumbria Chief Constable Craig Mackey to offer any help necessary.

“Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by these floods,” Brown said.