Divers from West Cumbria BSAC volunteered their RIB and joined the emergency services in evacuating sick and elderly residents from their flooded homes in Carlisle. 20,000 homes are still without power.

The divers volunteered their services on 8 Jan after hearing an appeal on Radio Cumbria. At this time the power was out, and both TV and mobile phone signals were down after flooding and high winds damaged the masts which broadcast the signal.

The West Cumbria BSAC dive boat 'Spare Rib' and a Landrover were pressed into action; the divers donned their drysuits and worked under the coordination of the police, visiting homes in the Warwick Road area.

One of the difficulties was finding fuel for the boat, as fuel points were either flooded or without power. The divers were mostly towing the RIB around and evacuating people too frail to remain in their homes.
"People with medical needs and the elderly were our first priority. With dry suits we were able to stay in the water for over 6 hours and people were carried out to the boat and then on to ambulances if required." West Cumbria BSAC's training officer, Jenny Watkins told Divernet.

The team worked on as darkness fell, using dive torches to locate people in their homes, and chemical light sticks to easily identify each other. They encountered numerous hazards, with railings, garden walls and cars submerged and invisible beneath the flood. Inside houses, the furniture was floating around and half-floating carpets lifting off the floors made movement difficult. The divers were often asked to retrieve medication from the fridge by evacuees, and had to fight through debris. They also encountered strong currents as the floodwaters ripped through the town. On occasions it was necessary to use the boat's engine to fight against the flow, with the risk of hitting underwater objects with the props.

"People were really great and everybody wanted to help. It's a very humbling experience to be involved with the rescue and good to feel useful." Jenny Watkins told Divernet.

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