RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews from Redcar and Cleethorpes were called out yesterday to help rescue people from flooded areas of Hull and Grimsby.
The seven Redcar crew travelled 120 miles to East Yorkshire with a D class lifeboat and lifesaving equipment picked up from the RNLI's divisional base on Teesside. They rescued people stranded in west Hull by severe flooding, following a request for help from the Coastguard as flood waters continued to rise.
RNLI divisional inspector for the North Andrew Ashton said: “RNLI lifeboat volunteers are trained to rescue people at sea but their skills transfer effectively to flood conditions and our crews will be doing all they can to help those people currently stranded by flood waters.
“The D class lifeboat being used is highly manoeuvrable and perfect for operating in flood conditions, in which the crew may need to negotiate unexpected hazards like cars and fences, as well as operating in water of unknown depth.”
Cleethorpes RNLI volunteers were called to evacuate people from The Willows Estate, Grimsby. They took the station's D class lifeboat by trailer to the estate and rescued 15 people, including three children, from homes and a community centre.
Cleethorpes lifeboat operations manager Jack Barlow said: “Some of the people had been stranded for some time and were obviously quite distressed. Our lifeboat crew was able to evacuate them and quickly took them to safety so they could warm up and dry out. It's very unusual for us to work inland like this but we were only too pleased to be able to help.”
For more information visit www.rnli.org.uk
