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By Dr. Albert Chen (University of Exeter) 28th October 2014 |
In the evening of 16 Oct 2014, a local thunderstorm occurred in Exeter and the torrent downpours led to flash flooding in many parts of the city.
Locations of flood-related incidents across Exeter during the evening of 16 Oct 2014
The Met Office reported that 19mm of rainfall was recorded in Exeter between 7pm and 8pm. The fire crews received more than 70 weather related calls and attended 55 incidents due to internal or external flooding. Some roads were impassable due to the 2 feet depth deep water and several basement flats were inundated. Elderly and disabled people were rescued and evacuated from their flooded ground floor properties. An infant school was also flooded and had to be closed for clean-up the day after.
Several manhole covers were reported lifted or missing due to the pressure in the sewer pipes, overwhelmed by the high discharge. Some homes and business also experienced power cut during the storm.
Related links:
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
BBC: Exeter flooding sees elderly people evacuated from homes
Exeter Express & Echo
Exeter hit by flash floods – fire crews receive over 70 calls as inch of rain falls in an hour
Videos and pictures: Flash floods brings chaos to roads, homes and businesses across Exeter
Breaking : Storm leads flash flooding across Exeter
Stories of dramatic rescues emerge as clean-up following flash flood in Exeter continues
Western Morning News: Flash floods as thunderstorms bring sudden downpours