CHURCH services were held in Boscastle yesterday to give thanks for the “miracle” that no one died when flash floods ravaged the Cornish village.
As residents prepared for more heavy rain today, the Bishop of Truro, the Right Rev Bill Ind, said that Boscastle had suffered a form of “corporate bereavement” after the floods caused millions of pounds of damage a week ago.
Speaking at the hilltop St Symphorian Church, which escaped the floods, he said: “You are in the thoughts and prayers of every parish in the diocese as well as many beyond. Boscastle is experiencing a kind of corporate bereavement. Landmarks have been swept away and people have felt, and are still feeling, a deep sense of loss.
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“What was familiar has become strange and there is a feeling that things will never be the same again. In a sense life has been taken over, not just by the extraordinary storms of last Monday but by all that’s happened since.”
He praised the rescue operation in which scores of people were airlifted from rooftops by seven military and coastguard helicopters. He said “no words can praise enough” the worth of the emergency services.
Many villagers who have been allowed to collect possessions and secure their homes, have put sandbags in front of their properties in case further rain triggers another flood. Heavy rain was due to fall last night and throughout today in the South West of England.
The Met Office said that there would be heavy showers in the region, but it was unlikely to be as severe as the torrential downpour last week that caused the flood.
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