Fire service receives 900 flood-related call outs
West Midlands Fire Service has revealed how many flood related call outs they have received due to the severe weather.
The control room has been inundated with 999 calls. They received around nine hundred 999 calls from 5pm until 10pm on Thursday.
The incidents they have attended so far include:
A request for help from a concerned elderly lady on Turner’s Lane, Brierley Hill.
Flooding of around 5,000 litres in the Radiotherapy section of the Old Queen Elizabeth hospital – no patients were present at the time.
A lightning strike to a gas power station which then caught fire.
Flooding to a children’s home where crews assisted eight disabled and vulnerable children to alternative accommodation.
Four houses affected by flooding on Kirkstone Way in Brierley Hill.
Large flooding to the cellar of a pub on Pershore Road in Edgbaston.
A caller trapped in their car on Pershore Road in Edgbaston.
Four people trapped in a car near to Garrison Circus in Birmingham.
100 properties affected by water on Sir John’s Road in Birmingham where residents were asked to stay upstairs, and in some cases isolate their electrics.
Flooding to the basement of an eight-storey student block in Edgbaston.
Ben Brook, Area Commander for Emergency Response, said:
The Fire Service has issued the following advice on how to stay safe on the roads during flooding:
Six inches of water is enough to reach the bottom of most passenger cars, enough to cause a loss of control or possible stalling.
Two feet of flowing water can sweep away most vehicles, including large four-wheel drive cars.
Don’t try driving through.
Even in areas which appear as though there’s a limited impact, there’s still the potential for surface water.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service issued the following advice on what to do in a flooding emergency.