FLOOD WATCH: Drying Out in England
Cindy Loose and Carol Sottili, Washington Post, 7/29/2007 (excerpted)
England is recovering from the worst flooding to hit there in 60 years. But with more rain forecast at press time and some areas still without fresh water and electricity, check your itinerary if you're traveling across the pond anytime soon.
London is mostly back to normal from deluge-caused disruptions to its underground rail system and to its airports (141 flights out of Heathrow were canceled on July 20 at the height of the storm). But other regions are still reeling:
• Worst hit was the county of Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds region on the Severn River, about 112 miles northwest of London. At least 300,000 people were without fresh water there late last week, and tourism officials were advising travelers to avoid the towns of Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester. Tourist spots in Gloucestershire include Tewkesbury Abbey, which flooded for the first time since 1760; Gloucester Cathedral, which dates to 1089 and is the backdrop for several "Harry Potter" movie scenes; and spas in Cheltenham.
• The so-called "heart of England," specifically Warwickshire and Worcestershire, also experienced severe flooding, which included disruptions to rail and road systems, but the area is recovering. Local officials immediately launched an advertising campaign -- slogan: "Always open, whatever the weather" -- designed to reassure nervous visitors ( http://www.visittheheart.co.uk).
Rain is expected to continue throughout England, at least for the next week or so. The good news? Drier-than-normal conditions are forecast for the latter part of August. For current flood updates: http://www.enjoyengland.com/tourist-information/flood-update.aspx.