Severn rescue boat aids flood victims (From South Wales Argus)

Severn rescue boat aids flood victims

3:52pm Monday 23rd July 2007 in News By Debbie Green

SELFLESS volunteers at the Severn Area Rescue Service have been working gruelling 14 hour shifts to lend a helping hand to people caught in the Gloucestershire floods.

The SARA crew at Beachley Station, near Chepstow, have been working alongside the police, fire and ambulance services in Tewkesbury since the flash floods first struck on Friday afternoon.

Some of the equipment is set to return to Beachley station tonight in case the floods hit Monmouth.

Rescue service crews from Sharpness and Wyre Forest in Arley have also been working in flooded areas throughout North Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

Having rescued around 200 people and more than 50 pets, this has been the biggest task SARA has faced in its 33 year history.

Peter Wischhusen, 60, is an executive officer at the Beachley station. He said: "We have been at work since the flash floods started on Friday.

"Our volunteers are working flat out on 14 hour shifts and they are just volunteers - they have their normal lives to lead too.

"We are trying to deal with the situation without using our pagers at the moment so that crew members can get a good night's sleep.

"We've been taking orders from the Great Western Ambulance Service, Gloucester Fire and Resucue Service and the police and have been sent out to rescue people from their homes and cars.

"We've also had a lot of call outs where people have had suspected heart attacks and the ambulances have been unable to reach them."

And Mr Wischhusen believes the hard work is far from over.

He said: "We don't expect it all to ease up for at least another three days.

"We still have the problem of people who are at home with 5 ft of water surrounding them. If they are taken ill and the ambulances can't get to them we will be called in."

Alan Stanley, executive chairman of SARA said: "I am immensely proud of our teams who have given gallant service to the community during this major incident.

"The men and women of our association have all selflessly given up their time to provide an important additional help to the hard-pressed emergency services.

"The work has been long, hard and demanding both on the members and our equipment."