The recent excessive rains in various parts of England have created a crisis in Whaley Bridge in the High Peak District of Derbyshire in the north.
Above Whaley Bridge is a dam which creates the Toodbrook Resevoir. Part of its structure has collapsed. It is feared that the damn will totally collapse and flood Whaley Bridge a town of 6,500 residents.
Residents have been told to vacate the town and surrounding area but those who work out of town have been told that cannot return for their own safety. They cannot collect their cats and dogs. I find the order forbidding their return to be strange and I believe it is a bad decision. Update: a few hours after posting this article I have learned from the Guardian website that residents have been allowed 15 minutes to retrieve their cats and dogs.
Clearly there will be a lot of anxiety by many residents concerned for the safety of their cats and dogs. A charity, Animal Search UK has stepped in to save the animals and reunite them with the owners. But this is a huge complication because if cats and dogs are at home and the home is locked how will they recover the animals?
Of course most of the cats will be inside and outside these homes as they are inside/outside cats. The rescue organisation will be hard pressed to find some of them. If their owners are forbidden from returning to their homes for several days an emergency might arise because of a lack of food. The cats will have to rely on their hunting skills. But this is a less than sensible arrangement I would suggest.
Animal Search UK has used the emergency to promote their charity. They rely on donations.
