Businesses in UK Flooded Out by Storm Dennis; More to Come?

Updated October 6, 2023
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Business Mistakes

The United Kingdom has been undergoing a series of batterings from storms over the past few weeks, with the latest coming from Storm Dennis, which was preceded by Storm Ciara. Yet, as one business owner who was flooded out twice in a two-day timeframe muses, is the country in for more of the same in the years to come?

Chris Harrison, who runs the Dale End Café located in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire watched as his beloved business was consumed by flood waters. What should have been a time for him to celebrate (his café has been open for two years now) turned into a time for mourning, as much of the building was left flooded out. It’s the same for many local firms in the area, which have been counting the costs of the rising river levels following Storm Dennis.

Speaking to the BBC Wake Up to Money show, Chris said that it was akin to watching a “sinking ship” as the water rose around his café. However, the local community rallied around him, with volunteers arriving at 6am on Sunday, February 16 to help him with sweeping out the mud and detritus. A 70-year-old customer also offered to provide assistance with his van.

“Everybody was mucking in, cleaning up the shop and making sure everyone was safe. But it was all undone 24 hours later,” he said. That’s when the second wave of the storm hit, with the River Severn peaking on Tuesday. Everything within the café now needs to be replaced, costing Chris and his business thousands of pounds.

Not Something to Gamble On

It’s difficult to predict how things will be in the future, as the weather can be very unpredictable. Of course, it’s not something that people or the government of the UK should take a gamble on. Instead, it may be more fulfilling to gamble on a sports betting platform, and there’s a CampoBet bonus available for bettors to make use of as well. At that sportsbook, you can wager on different sports events and potentially receive a pay-out for making a correct bet.

Someone else who was affected by the banks of the River Severn being overwhelmed by the flood waters, is Mark Davis. He owns and runs the Darwin’s Teahouse bed and breakfast located in Shrewsbury. “I was away for a business meeting when the river started rising, and I got back to complete devastation,” he said. The damage that the storm had caused took two of his rooms out of action in the basement of the building, which is an 18th Century property.

Eight of the rooms in his B&B which exist at the back of the property were also completely cut off from the main house, and Mr Davies expressed his sheer horror at seeing all his maintenance tools, cleaning equipment, dry goods and more being underwater upon his return.

Flood warnings remain in place across the United Kingdom, with many local businesses looking to the weekend with a nervous stance. Insurance analysts have already estimated that damage caused by Storms Dennis and Ciara this month could cost upward of £425 million.

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