WINTER STORMS - ABERYSTWYTH

Aberystwyth and Borth Coastguard Rescue Teams
 
Between 3 January 2014 and 12 February 2014, Coastguard Rescue Officers from the Aberystwyth and Borth teams were called into action repeatedly.  Each time they left their own families and properties, knowing they were at risk of storm and flood damage, so they could help those in their communities.

Keith Morgan from Aberystwyth and Allan Lloyd from Borth both lead their teams through the eleven occasions they were called out.  During this time the teams put themselves at risk to evacuate the elderly and vulnerable, man safety cordons to prevent the public from putting themselves in danger, and giving safety advice to the public who were in direct risk of being knocked over by the large waves. 

George Crumpler, their Sector Manager was one of the first on scene as hurricane force winds hit Aberystwyth. George provided safety cover to a police officer as they ran between the waves that were ripping up the seafront to someone taking cover in a buildings entrance.  George and the police officer were able to bring this person back through the waves to a place of safety where he then gave safety advice to the individual.

The teams were also able to use their 4x4 vehicles to deliver meals on wheels and also deliver essential supplies to the elderly and vulnerable as well as assisting the Police with the door to door evacuation orders. 

After they were stood down they were able to return to their own flood damaged properties to help their own families. 



 





(Photos reproduced with the kind permission of Iestyn Hughes)

Richard Martin, Chief Coastguard says, 

“Coastguards have worked tirelessly over the past few months as storms and tidal surges have battered many parts of the UK coastline. I'd like to take a moment to thank them all for their sterling efforts in what have been very challenging conditions.


“From the staff coordinating efforts in our Coastguard centres, to those rescue officers out in their communities, so many have given up their free time to help out. Some have done so in the early hours, on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day and even spending time away from loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

“Over the next few days and weeks, we’ll be featuring some examples of the work carried out by Coastguards during the storms. My thanks again to everyone involved in the storm rescue efforts as we all worked together to help keep the public safe.”

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

Emergency Radio Procedures: Does your fishing crew know what to do?

Image
DSC emergency radio procedures                                                              Picture: Planefocus Fitting a Digital Selective Calling radio on your vessel and knowing how to use it in an emergency could save your life.   If the worst were to happen at sea, using a DSC radio correctly can save vital time in getting those in trouble back to the shore.   Calling HM Coastguard with DSC in an emergency significantly helps in locating an incident and providing that help.      Most fixed VHF radios come with built-in DSC, meaning the Coastguard can be called easily and fast.   Assistant Chief Coastguard Matt Leat said:  “DSC means information is sent quickly and clearly so a rescue can begin right away. As well as having a registered personal locator beacon (PLB) per crew member on board, with DSC you’ll be assisting the Coastguard in locating you much faster.   “No one wants to be in an emergency situation and have to use DSC or a PLB, but that does not mean your vessel sho
Read more