REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
Resident Holly Phillips stands on a box outside her house after the river Thames flooded the village of Wraysbury, southern England February 10, 2014.
Reuters
The River Thames burst its banks after reaching its highest level in years, flooding riverside towns west of London.
This snippet from Euro News gives an idea of the country's flood crisis:
The biggest Atlantic storm of the year is due on Friday, with the already half-submerged county of Somerset fearing more misery. The west is now cut off by rail from the rest of the country at Bridgwater. Battered coastal towns from Cornwall up to Wales are bracing themselves for more damage.
Reuters notes that residents and British troops had piled up sandbags in a bid to protect properties, but the floods "overwhelmed their defences Monday."
Around 5,000 houses have been damaged since December.
A groundwater scientist at the British Geological Survey told Sky News that levels are likely to keep rising for another two months as water soaks through the soil. The Network Rail said that consequent issues with train lines and infrastructure could take "some months" to resolve.
With a liquid floor in much of lower Britain, residents are quickly adapting to the suddenly surreal landscape.
Flooded properties are seen as water surrounds the village of Moorland on the Somerset Levels near Bridgwater on February 10, 2014 in Somerset, England.
A resident leaves his flood-affected home adjacent to the river Thames in Shepperton on February 10, 2014 in London, England.
AP/Sang Tan
Trees in a park by the River Thames, in Datchet, England, submerged in water, Monday, Feb. 10, 2014. The River Thames has burst its banks after reaching its highest level in years, flooding riverside towns upstream of London.
AP/Sang Tan
A house stands in flood water from the River Thames at Wraysbury, England, Monday, Feb. 10, 2014.
REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
Nigel Gray leaves his home in a rowing boat after the river Thames flooded the village of Wraysbury, southern England February 10, 2014.
REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
The river Thames floods the village of Datchet, southern England February 10, 2014.
Oli Scarff/Getty Images
A Fire and Rescue crew check on residents in flood-affected homes adjacent to the river Thames in Walton-on-Thames on February 10, 2014 in London, England.
Matt Cardy/Getty
Worker's continue to build flood defences around Moorland resident Sam Notaro's house in the flooded village of Moorland near Bridgwater on the Somerset Levels on February 10, 2014 in Somerset, England.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
AP/Sang Tan
Children react in a flooded street, in Datchet, England, Monday, Feb. 10, 2014.
Rob Stothard/Getty Images
Floodwater surrounds the cricket pavilion on The King's School sports field close to the banks of the River Severn on February 11, 2014 in Worcester, England. The Environment Agency has issued flood warnings for dozens of areas along the River Severn as forecasters predict more rain to come.