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Cornish Floods [Boscastle, UK] 17.08.04 (BBCNews24) close X Running Time Approximately: 10 minutes Playlist Order: [N/A] Source Site: www.guardian.co.uk/ Torrential rains and flash flooding wreak chaos and destruction in the small Cornish village of Boscastle. The chief constable of Devon and Cornwall said today it was a "miracle" that no one appeared to have died yesterday in the flooded village of Boscastle. More than a hundred people were evacuated and eight treated for conditions ranging from hypothermia to broken bones after a three metre high wall of water swept down a steep valley into the Atlantic. Maria Wallis said the search was continuing but she expressed relief that no one had died despite what she described as the "devastation" in Boscastle. "Some people in the village describe that as a miracle. I agree," she said. Earlier police divers went into the harbour to check for bodies in the 50-60 cars washed away by the flash flood. The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, praised the "sheer professionalism" of the emergency services on an early morning visit to Boscastle. "[It] is a great comfort when we are in these difficulties, whether it's a train crash or a flood like this," he said. "I have been talking to the people who have immediately been hit. They have got some immediate problems. I am going to see how we can help them." The village stands in a deep rift where two valleys meet, taking the brunt of localised freak weather conditions. Debris including trees, branches, stones and rubble reached 40mph as it tore through the steep streets after one month's worth of rain fell in less than two hours. "We have never had anything like this. This was the flash flood to end all flash floods. We have got to get through this and see what we can do to clean up, clear up and restore," said Paul Tyler, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall. "I think that the government is prepared, I hope they will be prepared, to recognise that this is a major disaster for a small community of this sort." Forecasters are predicting bad weather for the rest of Britain this week as the knock-on effects of the remnants of tropical storm Bonnie bring strong winds and heavy rains. Bonnie picked up speed in the Gulf of Mexico last week and forced some companies to evacuate workers from offshore rigs and close some platforms as a precaution. As the storm moved past North Carolina, it span off tornadoes which killed three people, injuring more than 20 people, and damaging buildings and causing power cuts.

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