More flood evacuations possible while edgecumbe residents face 10 day wait to go home

Ukraine: Mariupol only 'ruins and mass graves' says fleeing native Get our free Ukrainians in the UK email for updates, changes and news SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Tony Garnett, 29, left his partner of a decade, 28-year-old Lorna, just ten days after Sofiia Karkadym arrived as a refugee at their Bradford home. Sofiia, 22, had fled the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, and accepted Tony’s offer on social media to host Ukrainian refugees after he signed up to the Government’s homing scheme, but became frustrated with the pace of progress. Related articles Ambulances rush to store as 'people collapsing' Cost of living crisis leaves hard up British pensioners facing DEATH Tony, who works in an … [Read more...] about Father-of-two leaves wife for Ukrainian refugee who moved in to family home 10 days before

Families have been forced to flee their homes due to Christmas Day flooding. Residents in more than 1,300 properties near the River Great Ouse in North Bedfordshire were told to find alternative accommodation or evacuate to local emergency centres. A severe flood warning has been issued by the Environment Agency for the Bedford area and flood waters remain high 'across large parts of Bedford Borough', says the local council. There is also widespread flooding in St Ives in Cambridgeshire with fears about Storm Bella bringing more severe weather. Highways England have implemented restrictions on the Severn Bridge in anticipation of the strong winds. The Environment Agency said there had been heavy rain across the Great Ouse catchment and more was expected, bringing "significant disruption to the community". Bedford council has set up Covid-safe emergency centres at Bedford International Athletic Stadium and Bromham Village Hall in Bromham. Have you been affected by the … [Read more...] about Storm Bella: Hundreds of homes flooded with UK ‘risk to life’ warning in place

A 'danger to life' warning has been issued in Bedford for severe flooding with thousands told to evacuate the area. Residents have been told to leave their homes ahead of Storm Bella today, which is set to bring further downpours and winds of up to 60-70mph in exposed coastal locations, according to the Met Office . Police declared a 'really serious situation' on Christmas Day and have urged people living along the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire to leave their homes. Supt Steve Ashdown, of Bedfordshire Police, said last night: "River levels are extremely high and we are expecting this to have a significant impact." The Environment Agency has issued flood warnings for areas along the River Great Ouse, while at Bromham the river was reported to be flowing at its highest recorded level. Are you braced for Storm Bella? Let us know in the comments section Police have declared a 'really serious situation' Supt Ashdown added: "The fact this is happening on Christmas … [Read more...] about ‘Danger to life’ warning as severe flooding hits UK and thousands forced to evacuate

The city of Sydney in southeastern Australia received torrential rain on Thursday, as swollen rivers caused flooding and threatened homes. Sydney already reached its annual average rainfall in the first three months of 2022, a spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology told broadcaster 7News. Which areas are affected? With rising water levels, residents in the city's south and southwestern suburbs were asked to evacuate for safety. The situation is especially dangerous in the southern suburbs of Woronora and Bonnet Bay. New South Wales Emergency Services issued warnings for heavy rains in the southern and central parts of the state. "We have seen exceptionally sharp, short bursts of rain that have created significant flash flooding events around parts of the Illawarra," New South Wales State Emergency Service Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin told reporters. "We ask the community to continue to be vigilant. This is a highly dynamic situation. These events are moving … [Read more...] about Australia: Sydney sees torrential rains, residents asked to evacuate homes

Incredible satellite imagery from space shows the moment a massive dust storm in the western United States collided with three wildfires. Over a period of two hours on Friday evening, a time lapse video shows the enormous sandstorm, tens of miles wide, descending from southern Colorado as it eventually becomes entangled with the smoke from wildfires burning nearby in New Mexico . When sped up, the mesmerizing video shows the band of sand meeting the thick white smoke blowing eastwards over the mountains. The images were captured by a satellite owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Satellite imagery from space shows the moment a massive dust storm in the western United States collided with three wildfires Colorado dust storm spanned hundreds of miles and travelled at around 60 mph The storm collided with wildfires, some of the largest in New Mexico state history The smoke came from a wildfire outbreak … [Read more...] about Incredible satellite video shows massive Colorado dust storm more than 10 miles wide collide with three New Mexico wildfires

By Jim Reed and The BBC Data Journalism Team Published 6 days ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic Doctors and paramedics have told the BBC that long waits for ambulances across the UK are having a "dangerous impact" on patient safety. BBC analysis found a 77% rise in the most serious safety incidents logged by paramedics in England over the past year, compared to before the pandemic. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the 999 system is also under "tremendous pressure", doctors say. NHS England said the safety of patients is its "absolute priority". 'Help should have been there' In October, nine-year-old Willow Clark fell off her bike on a country path in Hertfordshire, cracking her helmet and leaving her with a fractured skull and a nine-inch laceration across her leg. "I could see it was a really bad … [Read more...] about Ambulance wait times endangering patients, doctors say

Residents of Millwater in North Auckland are battling to stop Kāinga Ora from building 37 new houses for the homeless because they fear it will bring anti-social behaviour to their neighbourhood. However, their efforts have not sparked the response they were looking for. Last week, graffiti in large letters appeared on a retaining wall saying it is “our hood now”. It is not known who painted the graffiti and it had already been removed days later when Stuff visited the site. Government housing agency Kāinga Ora has said it is sympathetic to the residents' concerns but the question remains: if not here, then where would desperately needed public housing be built? More than 800 residents have joined an online community which has mobilised to pressure Kāinga Ora to instead turn the development in Bonair Crescent into KiwiBuild homes. A petition to Parliament received nearly 2000 signatures. READ MORE: Kāinga Ora residents living in fear after death threats from … [Read more...] about ‘It’s our hood now’: Tensions grow as Auckland residents battle public housing block

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Debbie Cuthbert was told she'd sprained her ankle. Months later she's still waiting to learn if she'll lose her foot. Nine months after injuring her ankle as she stepped off the school bus she was driving, Debbie Cuthbert has been left with a swollen deformed ankle, and the threat of having her lower leg amputated. Cuthbert says she sought medical help for the injury from a number of different medical professionals – and feels let down by her experience. She hopes an appointment at Christchurch Hospital’s Orthopaedic Outpatient Department on Wednesday morning will mark the start of a better experience. Cuthbert, who now resides in Christchurch, injured herself on September 10 last year. Then a resident of Temuka, Cuthbert went home and elevated her leg. It did not improve over the weekend, and she said she sought medical help at Timaru Hospital. She said it was there she was told she had sprained her ankle. READ MORE: Budget 2022: … [Read more...] about Woman hopes to avoid amputation after long wait leaves ankle deformed

Met Office forecasts warm weather before thunderstorms Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The weather experts have predicted breezy weather for Wednesday and Thursday as the low-pressure system moves northwards. The temperature levels during the day are likely to oscillate between 20-24C. Related articles Consumers face 'energy bill SHOCK' in direct debit payments Skyrocketing global food prices set to slam Brits Nick Miller, a meteorologist with BBC Weather, said: “After overnight rain and thunderstorms, Wednesday morning has a lot of dry weather and showers clearing northern Scotland. “Wednesday ends with more wet … [Read more...] about UK weather: Britain may face ‘torrential thunderstorms’ after hottest day of year at 27.5C

A backlog blamed on civil servants working from home has left hundreds of thousands of elderly and vulnerable people unable to hand over critical financial powers to their loved ones. A third of a million applications for lasting power of attorney (LPA) are still pending at the government agency responsible for registering them, while the waiting time has risen from 40 days to 140 days during the pandemic. Lawyers have warned the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is no longer “fit for purpose” over the backlog. The OPG admits on its recorded message that applicants should “wait at least 20 weeks” before trying to contact officials. The message warns that because of Covid, “many of our staff are working from home” and that “this is impacting response times in our contact centre and processing lasting powers of attorney applications”. An OPG spokesman insisted the message was in error and needed to be changed and that front-line staff who needed to be in the office to … [Read more...] about Thousands wait months for powers of attorney to care for loved ones as civil servants work from home