BSAR team involved with Rescue work at Cockermouth

Flookburgh based Bay Search and Resuce have had a busy weekend after two
local callouts; one on Thursday to help look for a missing person in the
Floods at Ulverston, and one early on Friday to locate a person seen in
the sand gullies on Morecambe Bay, the BSAR team were called to assist in
the Cockermouth floods rescue effort.

As part of our new role assisting Cumbria Fire and Rescue, the teams
Hagglund ATERV (all terrain emergency response vehicle) and Landrover
Ambulance was escorted under blue lights to Cockermouth on Friday
afternoon where the 8 strong BSAR crew worked alongside teams from all
over the UK to help evacuate residents, and provide assistance to those
wishing to remain in their houses. Initially in the raging fast moving
floods, powerful boats were used. Subsequently as the water levels dropped
and the amount of debris increased in and below the water, boats are less
useful,but vehicles still cannot be used, so the Hagglund ATERV capable of
carrying 18 people in warm, dry and relative comfort was a useful asset.
The crews worked from arrival Friday afternoon through to late Saturday,
catching bits of sleep in the vehicles in between tasks. The Hagglund was
the last vehicle operating in the towns flooded Main Street at 1.30am
Friday night, and the first vehicle back in at first light mapping the
flood depth and perimeters.

Subsequently both our vehicles were tasked to the 'Gote' area on the far
side of the river which had been completely cut off apart from by rescue
boat since the start of the floods. The Hagglund again was the first
vehicle into the area and spent the rest of the day evacuating residents,
including a medical emergency case by stretcher, and ferrying in bridge
surveyors and engineers. It also recovered dozens of computers holding
vital medical records for a large proportion of Cockermouth residents from
the flooded medical centre. The devastation was clear to see with cars
thrown everwhere and roads and walls ripped apart by the force of the
water. Koi carp, obviously from garden ponds were found by the team
swimming in remaining flood water on the estate. As the flood levels
dropped and other rescue teams could gain careful access on foot, the BSAR
team were stood down and returned to base early Saturday evening after a
busy three days.