finance minister

Description

The 2012 Great Britain and Ireland floods is a weather event that affected parts of Great Britain and Ireland on 27 and 28 June 2012. they occurred because of an unusually high amount of rainfall over a short period, coupled with two powerful thunderstorms that gathered strength as they travelled across mainland Britain. Severe weather warnings and a number of flood alerts were issued by the UK's Environment Agency, and many areas were hit by flash floods that overwhelmed properties and caused power cuts; a motorist was killed after his vehicle was caught by floodwater and landslides halted rail services between England and Scotland. The thunderstorms were the product of two fronts that collided over the British Isles - warm air travelling from the Azores and cold water-ladened air from the west. The first of the severe weather brought heavy rainfall to Northern Ireland on the night of 27 June, with Belfast one of the worst affected areas. Two inches of overnight rain caused flash flooding, damaging properties and leaving 1,000 homes without power for several hours.[1] The following day the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said that it had dealt with 700 flood-related calls, while Finance Minister Sammy Wilson announced that those affected by the floods would be eligible to apply for up to £1,000 in emergency funding. Northern Ireland Water reported that its staff had helped to clear sewage from 158 properties, and said it was on "high alert" to deal with further incidents.[2] On the morning of 28 June, two severe thunderstorms developed over Wales shortly after 8.00am, then moved separately across England to the Midlands and the north, leaving a trail of disruption in their wake.[3] At one point the Environment Agency had 10 flood warnings and 47 alerts in place for England, mainly in the Midlands and North, while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had one flood warning and 12 flood alerts covering many areas.[3] Homes and businesses were damaged as an inch of rain fell in two hours in some areas of the West Midlands.[3] Hailstones as large as golf balls fell in parts of the East Midlands, while the 2012 Olympic torch relay was briefly halted by lightning.[3] A motorist was swept to his death after his vehicle was overwhelmed by flood waters in Shropshire.[3] Northern Powergrid reported that 23,000 properties were left without electricity in North-East England after flash flooding and lightning storms affected the area.[3] Landslides blocked both main East Coast and West Coast rail lines linking England and Scotland.[4] Both lines reopened the following day, but problems with overhead power lines forced a second closure of the West Coast line while maintenance was carried out.[5] On 25 June another unseasonably low pressure (993 hPa / 29.3 inHg) depression moved across England. The associated front settled over Eastern England and dumped more than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain in places. The combination of high rainfall and high water levels from the earlier rainfall led to extensive flooding across many parts of England and Wales, with the Midlands, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, South, West and East Yorkshire the most affected. Gales along the east coast also caused storm damage. RAF Fylingdales on the North Yorkshire Moors reported rainfall totals of 103 mm (4.1 in) in 24 hours, an estimated 100 mm (3.9 in) in Hull and 77 mm (3 in) on Emley Moor in West Yorkshire. The average monthly total for June for the whole UK is 72.6 mm (2.9 in).[12] On 27 June, the Met Office released an early warning of severe weather for the approaching weekend, stating that 20 to 50 mm (--2 in) of rain could fall in some areas, raising the possibility of more flooding within the already saturated flood plains. Torrential rain is continuing to lash large parts of the UK, causing travel disruption and prompting flood warnings and alerts. There is an unfolding situation in Crewe where Cheshire Fire Service is attempting to reach a c...