The floods that have severely damaged many parts of the country have revealed one certain fact. This country has one of world’s finest emergency services.
The teamwork shown between the Police, Ambulance and Fire Service as well as the input from the Armed Forces has saved countless lives during some of the most testing periods they will have ever faced.
Perhaps their finest moment was stopping the waters engulfing the Walham substation. Their efforts here probably prevented hundred of thousands of people being left without any electricity across Gloucestershire.
They also came to the rescue of hundreds of motorists left stranded on the M5 motorway, after their route was blocked by the rising water. The RAF played their part by airlifting people from the roofs of their houses in a scene reminiscent of that from the Boscastle flood of 2004.
The Police took some criticism for failing to arrest those who behaved irresponsibly, such as those taking too much water from bowsers or even stealing water from elderly people who could not reach it. However, it is important to remember that in a situation like this, the priority of the Police is to ensure the safety of the people without homes, without water and without electricity, and they did that extremely efficiently.
