Royal Air Force helicopters join UK flood rescue

Britain's Met Office said the area has had a deluge of about 173 millimetres of rain in 24 hours

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London: British police say the country's Royal Air Force has joined attempts to rescue 200 people stranded by rising floodwater in a northern England tourist town.

Police in Cockermouth, in England's picturesque Lake District, said that three RAF helicopters were being used to evacuate people caught in the floods.

Witnesses said fallen trees were seen floating down the town's main street and that electricity supplies to 1,145 homes in the area had been lost.

Britain's Met Office said the area has had a deluge of about 173 millimetres of rain in 24 hours.

The Lake District attracts about 15.5 million visitors each year.

Do you know someone who has been affected by the flood? How are they coping with the situation?
 

Residents of the village of Cockermouth, England, are seen being rescued from their homes by members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), who were mobilized to help the residents after heavy rain caused local flooding in the picturesque village, Friday, Nov. 20, 2009.
The Royal Air Force and RLNI rescue services have joined efforts to rescue around 200 people who are stranded by rising floodwater in the northern England tourist town.
Rescue services navigate the flood waters, in the streets of Cockermouth village, England, as they work to rescue stranded residents from their homes.

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