Flooding has become more commonplace in many parts of the UK and BBC Local Radio has established itself as the principle source of a wide range of information for its victims. In North Yorkshire, during the floods of the Winter of 2000, BBC North Yorkshire - Radio York became the main communication channel connecting the emergency services, local authorities and armed forces with the public. In Cumbria during the flooding in January 2005 when large parts of the city of Carlisle were under 5-6 feet of water - BBC Radio Cumbria became the main outlet for emergency information connecting the emergency services, local authorities and responder organisations with the public. Due to the power cuts caused by the flooding most of the other media were unable to operate, however BBC Radio Cumbria's premises were powered by an emergency generator which enabled the station to broadcast for a 48 hour period through the height of the crisis. Thousands of individual pieces of information were broadcast... - Hourly updates from the Environment Agency on river levels.
- Updates from the electricity supplier on the power cuts.
- Updates on the bus services in the city following the flooding and loss of 65 buses.
- Police updates on roads and flooded areas and rescues.
- Business closures, school closures, hospital services status.
- Country Council and City Council emergency messages.
- Health warnings on polluted water.
It was a lifeline no-one else was able to offer and when it was all over tributes poured in from grateful individuals and communities. 'A special thank you should also go out to BBC Radio Cumbria. Many people have told me that it was a lifeline. The telephones were down and there were no proper communications, so people listened to their car radios or battery-charged radios. It was the only way to get the information out. Without that, things would have been even more intolerable for many people.' (Eric Martlew, MP Carlisle, speaking in the House of Commons | 
