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ABINGDON - There was an apocalyptic sense to the small town of Abingdon yesterday. Everywhere sandbags were being heaped on top of the other as residents fortified their homes in anticipation of flood waters.
Giant yellow flood defences surrounded a retirement home and shoppers were loading up trolleys with bottled water, milk and bread at supermarkets. Wellington boots were the footwear of the day.
Throughout the afternoon, intermittent drizzle provided a constant reminder of the deluges of the past few days.
Local radio broadcasted warnings of an increasing list of roads that could expect to be under water within a few hours, as well as details of local shelters and centres where sandbags could be collected. Presenters appealed to residents not to panic, help was at hand.
The small Oxfordshire town had already been hit once over the weekend but this time the forecasts were even more ominous. Both the rivers that meet in this corner of England - the Thames and the Ock - were expected to overflow sending new tributaries down streets in the town centre.
"It seems to be calm at the moment," said fire station manager Gary Coupar. "I just hope it is not the calm before the storm."
With local firefighters already flooded out of their homes, crews from as far away as Greater Manchester and Essex had been called in to help out. Operation Deep End was in full swing as they readied themselves for another sleepless night. Sandbags, by now at a premium, were being handed out as pumps and boats were prepared.
With large areas already under water, Abingdon looked like a town that needed to be rolled up and wrung out.
- INDEPENDENT
