Original subtitles

malcolm have you got the latest title

readings from wick

lost the signal from the monitoring

station what was the last

reading before we lost the signal

what it's gonna be a mistake

despite attempts to limit loss of life

and property damage the residents of

maine on the east coast

face the grim task of cleaning up a

shattered state

the storm which moves from the great

lakes

and your dad's really been looking

forward to having you over

yes he has isolated

i am not patronizing you

mel

please tell me i was never like that

more tea please i think they call it

being a teenager

there's water pouring through the door

oh

wow

oh

oh

oh

your sister's going to kill me i

promised you you'd be on time

better hurry up then

so

hey tony ciao tony i'm in

have you done now i'm supposed to be

into scanning my in-laws remember

on holiday well if you can call it that

you're talking about done your favor

tuscany's miserable this time of year

well my mother-in-law showed me this

in the off chance you've actually done

some work how was the rig

i would you believe me if i told you

have you shot your email this morning

let's check in now

god yeah that footage is from yesterday

today's worse

this storm is unreal i'm on the way to

wick now

the storm it there this morning

apparently the sea walls collapsed

it's a huge mess a lot of people are

missing i haven't seen anything like

that in a while

we've been asked yeah the sea defense is

further south sure

what do you need manpower if you got it

we need as many guys from the fight as

you can spare

i'll take care of it i'll call you later

listen tony yeah

if it is any worse don't hang about yeah

yeah not tiny i mean okay zero

did the wind do that no

it's wave damage what kind of wave would

do that

danny back from houston yes get a

chopper pick him up and make him care

matter of fact get all the help you can

find

is he all right up there yeah

yeah i'll be fine

you need to review this pressure's

continuing to drop in the north sea our

press officers are pushing before their

updates

we're inundated with requests i need to

run the latest shipping forecast right

now okay okay quiet everyone

this storm we've been tracking the last

few days i need everything on it

where it's headed how fast get me the

latest

atmospheric pressure reports for the

northeast and everything you've got from

the british oceanic data center

all right in 40 minutes i'm briefing the

deputy prime minister

the thames barrier became operational in

1983

and is the largest fixed tidal defense

system in the world

it has 10 movable gates stretching 500

meters across the river

and is capable of holding back billions

of gallons of water that would otherwise

flood london

money

miss morrison these came for you

thank you

sneaky

we're going shopping then just got one

job i'll make it quick

yeah i'm looking forward to this it's

been a while since we did anything

following the together flooding that

occurred in wick's coffin

damage is estimated to be in excess of

what is it nothing let's get going

morning frank of course see the news

this will be what you're interested in

then figures from the tidal gauges are

murray

and aberdeen things aren't looking too

clever with this storm in scotland

is this likely to have an impact on our

timings nothing's showing up as yet but

we're double checking with the med

office now

10 hours to high tide can you

recalculate the tide's expected height

when it reaches london bridge

i'll activate the normal protocol for a

high tide closure

the rescue operation continues here in

wic despite continuing hazardous

conditions

air rescue support has been called in

but those in need of rescue far

outnumber available resources leaving

nani stranded on rooftops and high

ground figures from wichita the current

death toll at 21. another 15 are missing

we can expect those numbers to rise i'm

still waiting for reports from further

along the coast

and the prime minister is calling in

from australia in about 10 minutes

so i need a damn good explanation of why

we had no warning

sir isn't this the same storm that hit

the east coast of the united states

forecasting is not an exact size but

haven't you been tracking it across the

atlantic for the past five days the

storm is constantly changing

you have models don't you with respect

sir when a storm surge is moving this

fast there's no

scientific means of predicting exactly

what it's going to do

by the time we have new data it's

already out of date sorry

storm surge deputy prime minister if

you'd allow me

so this particular storm is a massive

low pressure system it's essentially a

hurricane

as the low pressure pushes down on the

sea water is

sucked up into a hump this is storm

surge and this is what hit wick

yes so what was the size of this thing

we don't know yet but they can be

anything up to 25 feet above normal sea

level stretching over a thousand square

miles

that volume gets even greater as the

surge is pushed into shallow coastal

waters

what's going to happen next well based

on the available data the storm is

moving northeast back into the north sea

but so the worst of it's over i believe

so

so actually you can't predict what this

storm is going to do at

all can you i'm confident about this sir

deploy full emergency services within a

50 mile radius of quick

and use all available resources to check

the sea defense is below wick

already underway all right let's try and

do everything we can and hope this time

you might be right

kate hi dad yeah just calling to remind

you it's your granddaughter's

christening at 10 o'clock

i haven't forgotten please don't be late

and

dad just so you know rob's coming

i see yeah i didn't think he'd be able

to make it but

it's been a long time are you sure this

is a good idea

yes i do does rob know i'd be there dad

i want you there

and your granddaughter wants you there

it's a big day for her you know

so no excuses please ten o'clock then

don't be late

should we send through those figures to

the coastal engineering committee uh no

let's look at them again when i get back

are they that bad

there's my granddaughter's christening

now

i got her a present but um

i can't remember where i left it

ah yes well spotted we are witnessing

the worst storm to hit scotland in 30

years

this way

how are you holding up well we're used

to targeting the weather here in

scotland

but this this was something else we just

were not prepared

and why wouldn't we given any warning

sir do you have any idea of the

fatalities we've experienced today

any advice for us

what's your name what's her name

my name is kirsty kazdy that's a very

pretty name

very pretty name sorry

sir so what plans have your office put

in place to deal with the storm damage

this morning

set up a meeting with hopkins from the

main office

and follow from the environment agency

and the better that will have an

explanation

okay

just in time i gotta go bye

what kind of uncle did you take me for

thank you

waiting in summer probably just as well

we thank you almighty god for the gift

of water to sustain

refresh and cleanse all life over water

the holy spirit

through water you led the children of

israel from slavery in egypt

to freedom in the promised land in water

your son jesus received the baptism of

john

and was anointed by the holy spirit as

the messiah

the christian

as jesus took children in his

with your arms

you look well

oh my just supposed to wait in the car

it won't be long love

i should have stayed at home

hi i'm sorry i can't come to the phone

right now

why didn't you tell me you'd be here

because i knew you'd react like this

and i wanted you both here i've hardly

seen each other since my mom died

oh yeah maybe you're right maybe you're

right he did turn up to the funeral i'll

give you that

my daughter needs a grandfather she

deserves that

bob this is a new start i'd like us to

look forward to

be a family yeah wait

a family you mean like um

being there when the kids are growing up

that kind of thing come on you know it

wasn't as simple as that

you should see him with elsa he really

does care

okay the only thing he cares about

is himself

anna you're okay yeah yeah bad day well

it's about to get worse

you need to go to the barrier what

they're closing the gates this evening

but there's a problem and it needs

looking at right away

thank you rob you sent everyone else up

north to help tony

you're the only one i have left yeah

christ i mean sam's there

we're under contract someone's got to

check it out well that's easy for you

this though you weren't married to the

woman

there must be someone else what about

you very funny but i'm a bit busy

running your business for you

taxi's on its way bye

yeah thanks

okay

sorry i'm gonna have to come work is it

again

what's that supposed to mean can't see

it can you

just like him

what

come on

many regions have been devastated by the

strong winds and high tides

created by the massive low pressure

system the accompanying storm

surge has caused

this storm continues

hello malcolm lyndon morrison oh

professor morrison

it's been a long time indeed i i have a

favor to ask you

now's not really a good time professor

the boss is on the war path and we're

flat out dealing with this storm

this won't take a minute could you email

me the figures from all the tide gauges

south of aberdeen can i ask why you need

that information

let's call it professional curiosity we

can call it that

i'm not sure that's what the boss would

call it this is just between you and me

malcolm

i wouldn't ask for these figures if i

didn't need them

hi it's me you okay holiday my

mother-in-law's looking good right now

where are you i'm on the mainland i've

checked out the sea wall at wick

trap

tony what's the matter it's crazy here

look that's that's

it just leave it we'll find some other

way of sorting this out

my god

cody

this is

more coverage from our growth mom thanks

and the inspector hendrick's mom has

sent you in some cakes again

why don't you just take them home i

don't think it's me and she's trying to

fatten up

penny penny can you get me samantha

morrison at the barrier

will do yeah absolutely ma'am as you

know due to the high spring tide and the

storm damage in scotland we are planning

a precautionary closure but

if anything comes up i will certainly

let you know great thanks

penny get me the met office

i assure you commissioner you have the

full cooperation of the met office on

this

i need to be kept fully informed i've

emailed you the latest updates

thank you thanks for your cooperation

we're on top of everything

professor i'm a bit busy actually hear

me out

those figures you sent me for the tide

gauges

yeah don't you think they're on the high

side it's a storm surge

nothing to be unexpected given the

circumstances i fed the numbers into my

computer model

if the surge continues to grow at this

rate the entire east coast of england

could be in trouble

malcolm the latest on the title gauges

where to go

yes just hold from him the chairman of

the u.s federal bank

mr moyes you're on speakerphone arthur

i'm sorry to hear about your casualties

well i know i appreciate that arthur and

i'll convey your sentiments to the prime

minister

i'm sure you are well the douse dropped

a further 40 points overnight

confidence has been low here since the

storm damage in maine

and we have got some big players

stopping some huge quantities of stock

could be facing a major meltdown well

i'm sorry to hear that arthur but you

know

just at this moment we're trying to deal

with the human catastrophe

i'm just calling to let you know you

could be facing an economic one too

a couple of these guys have started

dumping uk stock

it's having a ripple effect

thanks arthur talk to you later you want

the treasury yeah

tony called him no no

nothing to worry about no just let me

know when he calls in

all right anna bye

hi sam hi

what are you doing here problem in pair

one

no one else available well i'll do you

good to get your hands dirty

you're looking well thanks

i hear business is good anna's still

running things for you

well nothing's changed she gives the

orders

i obey nice flowers

i know it's not your birthday

now i know

it's great isn't it yeah it's great does

he know you hate roses

oh look at this it must be my lucky day

they sent me the big boss to push around

oh are you really there frank

looking as lovely as ever yeah should we

go

why not

oh

we interrupt this program for breaking

news from the english coast

the severe storm that hit wick and our

growth earlier today

is continuing to wreak havoc further

south

having left a trail of devastation in

scotland the storm is now battering the

coastal towns of northern england

our guys don't think it's anything major

but

with this early closure i am seeing

somebody pay you guys so much just to

sit around i

thought i might call on your services i

think you mean specialist

expertise don't you

what do you reckon it could be corrosion

or

where problem in the main bearings which

would affect lift capacity yeah

we thought as much leave it with me i'll

run some

ultrasonic tests if it turns up positive

we wait nine months for the past hurray

all right

uh

mel where are you it's me give us a call

back please it's dad

okay

hi i'm sorry i can't come to the phone

right now but if you leave me

oh my god

i want to know we're not going to need

any more body bags before this day is

out

latest figures have the storm heading

east into the north sea towards the hook

of holland that's what you told me this

morning

what about our growth sir with all due

respect this storm is not behaving

within expected parameters

has the danger passed yes or no it's

difficult to say

if the prevailing winds were to drive

the storm south

the surge would be squeezed between the

british coastline and mainland europe

this creates a funneling effect and

raises sea level

that's just a worst case scenario most

surges

lose momentum before that they they just

peter out

not always though no not always

so what do you think well nothing of

immediate concern

she's pretty tough yeah how much longer

do you need is your deadline for closure

well we need you out of here in two and

a half hours oh well

in that case

i'll get out your way soon as possible

then shall i

you know i didn't mean it like that yeah

yeah

okay well you can manage till frank gets

back oh yeah don't worry about me

his name is duncan

we've been out a few times i don't need

to explain myself to you yeah that's

right

so why are you explaining yourself

because you asked no i didn't

because you wanted to know

he's an architect oh really england

are two nil up

i i thought you were on pier three i

didn't think you were checking the

scores

two ni oh you're canadian why aren't you

oh

two-nil

the deputy prime minister has visited

the disaster zone and has met with some

of the survivors

he has reassured the public that

everything is being done by the

government to restore

normal services to the area

the prime minister who is currently in

australia is being kept fully informed

of the situation

is it possible that this storm could

change its course

if we did see the storm change its

current course and a severe rise in sea

level

there could be extensive flooding down

the east coast of england

damage estimate well the last time we

saw something similar

1953 the storm that hit east anglia and

canby island

killed 300 people on land and another

200 at sea

nearly that surge

was a body of water four metres high

the size of ireland

that's a pretty serious worst case

scenario

at present we know that this storm is

heading out to sea experience suggests

it will be pointless to cause further

and unnecessary alarm at this stage

with more time deputy prime minister

with more data

we can build a better picture

right so tell me how the hell am i going

to reassure the public

say morrison

is everything okay

change to the regular maintenance

program our in-house guys

inspect all year round there's a test

closure every month

at least one gate is operated every day

without failure it's like clockwork

test closures aside any weather-related

closures 21 in the last year

uh in the 1980s we were averaging maybe

one a year but it's down to rising sea

levels unpredictable weather patterns

etc frank can i get a minute alone with

rob

sure

look the flowers

bit of a surprise

i just got a call from anna oh yeah

there's been a car accident something to

do with the storm

it's tony

he's all right

is that is he all right

i'm so sorry

no it can't be

it can't be a mistake

no this killed me alright

what's the name there

this is not your fault i did i sent him

there i put him right in the path of

that stone

you're not responsible for this do you

think they're gonna buy that

his wife and kids

because i don't

does the prime minister have any plans

to cancel this tour of the commonwealth

return home here to deal with this

crisis

well the situation is fully under

control of course but yes the prime

minister will be flying home from sydney

but he's very keen to be here for and

with the british public at this time

why was there no warning well you know

just at this present time we're

concentrating on managing

the situation but someone must be

responsible

with respect assigning blame at this

point of time is really not very

constructive

the latest figures from the met office

indicate that the storm is heading

eastwards

out into the north sea deputy prime

minister are you saying that the danger

has passed

well yes yes i'm very pleased to be able

to say that the

indicators at the present time show that

our coastline is no longer under threat

and that's the last question

right there you are next time let me

know what's going on

i was worried sick about you i've been

trying mum all morning and

she's not picking up and there's been

this storm

in wick did you know

dad i'm sorry look there's been a lot of

damage up in wick yeah and your mum and

your gran

no one's been able to trace them yet but

there are people out there they're

looking for them

it's just a lot of confusion and panic

at the moment

and and i don't know they've got lost in

the mayhem

okay

there's a gentleman in reception i

explained you were busy but he won't

take no for an answer

he's insisting on seeing you hell he

says his name's leonard morrison

excuse me

sam sorry to have trouble yes no

it's fine i i know it's okay

if you're here because of rob no yeah

he's here

he's looking into something for us we

have an early closure today this has

nothing to do with rob

oh he's very upset

we've just had some terrible news

tony lombardi was killed this morning

tony

what happened he was caught in the storm

oh god rob must be yes

this storm that's why i'm here

the impact of the tidal surge and storm

we have all the latest readings there is

no reason for immediate concern and i'm

in touch with the med office

i just need to access some data here so

i can be sure of what we're dealing with

i have the utmost respect for your

research it inspired me as a student but

we do not deal

in theory here you of all people know

that

it'll take five minutes

rob you all right

yeah yeah

it doesn't make any sense it was heading

east towards holland

two hours ago this wasn't meant to

happen

it's heading straight for us

the storm and the surge are dangerous

enough but tonight's high tide is the

highest tide of the year

which is why we are closing the barrier

my computer model is now predicting that

the storm and the surge

will reach the mouth of the thames

estuary at high tide

this means that the volume of water

moving upriver will be massively

amplified

don't underestimate the barrier it's

designed specifically for problems like

this

not this much water

sam you know i wouldn't come here you've

spoken with any of your old colleagues

at the environment agency about this

they're not taking my calls

you're saying the confluence of storm

surge and tide

could be catastrophic

let me see the model

now we've got to try and stay positive

when she didn't pick her phone up

i thought you'd had another fight with

her and she switched off

me and your mum i mean we both know this

hasn't been easy for you you don't

understand

i spoke to her this morning and it was

me

i hung up on her and it was stupid

and i just wanted to say your mum's a

very understanding woman

yeah i should know i pushed her to the

limit enough times

and she wouldn't have had a second

thought about it really

you can tell her when you see her

that that you didn't mean it

come on we better get inside

come on

commissioner sam morrison hi sam

what can i do for you we may have a

problem i forgot leonard morrison here

he's an expert in the field

professor morrison has uncovered some

worrying data

according to this it looks as though the

storm

and today's spring tide could collide

resulting in a volume of water so great

that it could override the barrier

that's serious yes ma'am let me get

right back to you

of course

rob

morrison's an environmental scientist he

was

chief analyst at the flood hazard

research center and sat on a

parliamentary advisory committee which

reported on the sighting of the barrier

the report he submitted outlined a key

flaw

he reckoned that the barrier was

situated in the wrong place and

recommended that it be built

closer to the mouth of the thames

estuary closer to the sea basically his

concern sent around the fact that under

certain title conditions the barrier

could be overwhelmed get me sam morrison

again

come on

just turned up he's here about the

barrier

yeah of course he is

look i know that this is really bad

timing but i do think we need to listen

to what your father has to say i don't

care what he has to say

if this storm changes direction is that

what this is about

uh don't don't tell me um storm surge

coincides with spring tide

and the barrier won't hold am i right

yeah i've seen the forecasting on his

model it's a very real possibility

you still don't get it do you this is an

obsession

this obsession destroyed our lives

he's been wrong from the very start and

he won't accept it

even when it meant losing his own family

my mother died heartbroken over this

why should i listen to him now

i do understand

but we've lost tony to the storm

for his sake please just hear your

father out

i knew hopkins what's the latest

position

the storm has dramatically altered its

course

within the last hour

it's likely to hit the southeastern

coast of england

later this afternoon can you be more

specific well

we're looking at gales of up to 80 miles

an hour so i think we should anticipate

considerable damage

you're all missing the point with

respect to professor morrison this is

hardly an appropriate forum for your

theories

according to my computer model oh please

well forecast from the met office and

the environment agency haven't been very

accurate so far have they

sorry professor please continue assuming

no changing wind conditions

my figures indicate that this storm and

the tidal surge traveling with it

will reach southeast england and the

thames estuary

at high tide what does that mean

the combined volume of water will

overwhelm the thames barrier

so are you saying that central london is

now at risk

i'm afraid i am

my most conservative estimate is that

the barrier will be overtopped by

four meters and i'm not talking here

about a single wave this is an event

that

could last for hours

so which areas are most at risk the

danger zone includes the

dotlands light railways 68 underground

stations 30 main line stations

as you will see there are three world

heritage sites at risk 8 power stations

dozens of museums and art galleries

and of course your location in whitehall

um what does this mean in terms of

population

16 hospitals 400 schools

approximately one and a half million

people either live or work within the

flood danger zone

how long have we got figures i received

from the met office

indicate that the storm will reach the

thames ash jury

three hours from now

dear god that's seven o'clock this

evening why didn't anyone see this

coming

or somebody did

we need to initiate evacuation protocol

immediately

the longer we delay the decision to

evacuate

the greater the risk of there being

substantial casualties

is that do it

rob thanks for

in there well

looks like you were right i'm sorry i

didn't believe you

hey coming back in half an hour back

every penny all right

if any bags are left unattended they

will be removed and destroyed

yeah hi kate

now listen i want you to do something

for me don't ask questions just listen

get in the car take the family and get

as far away from london as you can i

want you to drive as fast as you

possibly can no no look

dad's here with me at the barrier don't

ask questions just do what i'm saying

kate listen listen dad was right all

along

yeah goodbye

anna

would you track down the girls for me

they should be leaving the cinema about

now

penny make sure you call home too mom

it was my understanding the emergency

services would receive at least 12 hours

clear warning of a major flood alert and

we've had barely three

what the hell have you people been doing

when this gets out there's going to be

panic on an unprecedented scale

we have less than three hours before the

surge hits the barrier

how long can we keep the underground

running well we'll have to clear the

lines an hour before the water hits

but that only gives us two hours but

less to clear the tunnels by 6 20 london

underground are going to have to start

withdrawing services around

five o'clock impossible that's barely

enough for now russia will have already

started

look trains have to be run out to depots

staff pools stations closed

your trains means we're shifting fewer

passengers once word gets out stations

will fill with people trying to get out

of london

trains that do manage to get through are

going to be full before they even reach

most platforms

no you encourage them they start

breeding

here we go

into the heart of darkness

all major exit routes will gridlock

within 40 minutes of a major public

alert and so

all london airports must immediately be

put under military jurisdiction

we need to issue the public with

instructions they need to be told to get

themselves to high ground wherever

possible

we need to move as many people as

possible to the safety points

the problem is they won't know where

they are they won't even recognize the

sound of the evacuation sirens because

we haven't had time to get that

information out so we need media

cooperation

it'll be critical otherwise we're

looking at hundreds of thousands being

left stranded in the flood zone

right i'm declaring a state of emergency

this just is the emergency management

committee cobra

the river thames are to be evacuated

government advice

high ground wherever possible

initiate the gate closure now right away

family

thank you

don't forget i'm heading down to the

machine room now yes man

down there

come on bill where are you

this is your first time down here yeah

was it oh okay

so where are we heading mate down to the

lower pump room gotta change the circuit

board oh

mike

i have to brief the prime minister so i

need a status update barrier has

initiated closure

and evacuation procedures have been

activated

sir no population movement on this scale

in this time frame has ever been

attempted

we're dealing with millions of people

river area

space between the gate and the sill is

reduced to 75 millimeters we're right on

target

i couldn't get to a decade i've spoken

to him somewhere

so we have to get these people over here

time's moving on you know frank and the

boys are refusing to go

i'm not gonna leave without them

please evacuate and make your way to the

nearest emergency exit

please evacuate your way to the nearest

emergency

it's going to be at least 45

the zone have been minutes that means we

may not get to the queen elizabeth

hospital in time

the patient's population there

approximately 2 000.

this came in a few moments ago man

i suffered coast half an hour ago

prioritize the schools

yes

yeah nearly there

right i'll be going then

where i gotta go i'm too fat

sweet sweet phil do work here don't you

ah it's filthy up here bill i know

boss you've got to look at these title

gage figures excuse me

put me through to commissioner nash at

cobra

hello sam ma'am

we've just received some new information

the search is growing in size

and it's traveling up the estuary at a

height of four to six meters how long

have we got

it's a matter of minutes before it hits

us

sam patch all video feeds from the

barrier through to us immediately

yes ma'am

sir

no time to argue

we need to relocate now

please god

what's that

let's get out of here

all right

you need to hurry up what about the

others

damn we having a good time

we have to go out now no no no we have

to go

hey

i think we should walk i know you're

frying sweetheart but please

we need to get to high ground and we

will okay

we're not going to get anywhere fast

while walking so let's just

sit tight okay

come on zach who are coming in here mate

what about it it can't be right can it

well what do you think's above your head

son

ah sends hey

relax there's eight meters of earth and

rock between us and the river

you think you're safe yeah i won't be

here if it wasn't

job done can we go now

hello control

uh low control

nothing ever works around here no

give jamie a kiss for me i'll see you

about first

anything on the girls i left messages on

their phones with all the numbers here

they'll be pat's fruity as a matter of

priority the moment they call

get me an update on the hospital and

school situation as soon as you can

mom

my cousin has a dog right called baxter

and he hangs off a towel

like that he will just hang there all

day i'm telling you bro

don't know there's a dog in it that's

what dogs do how much of those things

coming up then

hundreds of pounds for a pedigree no yes

it is

i hear that no i don't hear anything

mate

exactly

hello control i'm in control

we need to get to a phone find out

what's going on

i need to see what's happening out there

come on

i need pictures

come on

look if we stay here we're gonna die

come on let's go let's go

come on dad no no i can't i'm sorry i

can't

sound it's breaking up we gotta jump

it's all right come on

grasp it we're gonna be all right okay

come on

one this is madness

two

this was supposed to be instant plug and

play we're almost there mom

we've got it sir

jesus

it's been completely overwhelming

morrison was right

can you get in any closer than that

oh my god who's that switch to night

vision

it's professor morrison

we need that man here asap sir

are you sure we have time for more

theory

all our protocols have failed us no one

on the planet knows more about storm

surges than professor morrison you know

that

he forecast this years ago he said the

barrier will be overwhelmed

he's the only one who can tell us now if

we have a chance to stop this

let's get him here deputy prime minister

all military aircraft are committed

elsewhere well then

requisition a civilian one top priority

yes ma'am

no morrison

what's happening i want that barrier

signal back up

we need to see what's happening out

there

ah

so we've got it good mom mom

you need to see this

the rescue helicopter is nearly at the

barrier thanks

oh

i think we found your straight

yeah i get the figures over to you right

away

get the number of evacuees at the safety

points over the pm right

we'll do so deputy prime minister

they found morrison right so you really

think he can make a difference now

he's our best bet ready

here you go

we're two search and rescue four we're

on the way wait

you tell him to wait there are two more

people down there

please my son's down there he jumped

you've got to try and find him

no one could have survived that i'm

sorry i beg you

sir we're on the orders to get you to

cobra without delay

uh

oh

you think you can make it to the door

i don't know it's all right

the current will take us

okay i'll be right behind you i'm gonna

let you go

all right

i need the latest evac figures from

tilbury to london bridge

johnston where are we with the

underground closures

oh we've evacuated most of the tube

stations and the immediate dangers are

now clearing dlr stations around canary

wharf

how much longer people are working as

fast as they can

i need time to get them out too all

right give me updates every 10 minutes

and i need to know what's happening on

the roads which areas are gridlocked and

which are clear if we're to get people

to the safety points

wow

this is the old transformer for the

northern line

i think there's a phone in here

well that's not right

come to the top of here see if we can't

get out that way oh ladder

there's a pattern for me bro

you know what i think you might be one

of them workplace bullies no no mate

you might want to see someone about that

uh

um

over here

yes

wow

he must have done otherwise what was he

playing at

guys i hope he's no still in a barrier

he couldn't beat that would be suicide

he must be in the water

your wife's on the phone from france can

i put it through

i'll call back as soon as i can okay

commissioner

commissioner how do we stand at the

moment

well sir we're up against it scale of

this thing

even new orleans can't compare

shut up

okay i'm really concerned about the

security situation

now signing this will give the military

certain powers limited powers

to overrule civil authorities during

this current state of emergency what

i must retain authority to coordinate

air rescue i need to get

thousands of civilians to safety points

and i can't do that without military

assistance

all transport all vehicles must remain

under cobra's command we're more than

willing to work with cobra mom but i

have to ensure the security of all

rescue personnel

buildings government property of course

with respect everything

including security concerns must remain

under the control of cobra

and commissioner nash is to be given

full military cooperation in accordance

with the greek protocol

i'm not trying to change procedure sir

but if civilian unrest does get out of

hand i have to be able to react

accordingly yes

but cooperation is what's needed if

we're to save lives

and you work under cobra in all areas of

the evacuation reporting to commissioner

nash is that agreed major general

yes sir where's my liaison officer

behind your mom

ah bill it's locked okay come on you

know

i am having serious second thoughts

about all this young lad like me

stuck underground with a bloke

about you

mom what it seems the girls left your

message early in the confusion we didn't

get it

they're meeting friends in time

and town

it could be anywhere i'll keep trying to

get through

what do you think's happening

hi it's me this is officially my 100th

message

just give me a call done whenever you

can

you okay

we're gonna try and stay warm

i never believe this can happen

the barrier was completely defenseless

we had no idea what we were dealing with

my crew friends i should have skate with

them

my sound is all right it's all right i

have to go back

need to see maybe somebody shut up we

can't go back

we can't go near it you don't understand

i have to prom

it's the only way i can do something

listen listen

defiance on high ground we go there

if the gear's still working we can make

contact with cobra

they'll know what's happened to the

barrier i think that's where guys would

go

if you made it i'm sure he's fine he's

okay

we have to get off of this boat how the

hell are we gonna do that

we need another boat

run

wow

they just back because status report in

the royal family

they've been safely moved to balmoral

all right bullet points please we need

to look at the time scale we're working

to

mom there's no sign of a slow down the

momentum of the surge itself is enough

to keep the water coming but there's no

light up in the wind and the rain

that's just adding to the problem the

met storm forecast

led us down completely is this data

reliable

an event on this scale is practically

unheard of this is a thousand-year storm

this latest day to feed is as accurate

as can be yeah but i need to know what

further collateral damage we can expect

if the surge maintains its current

momentum we have

i don't know an hour before most of

central london is underwater

two at most what can be achieved in two

hours

no matter how fast we work we're not

going to get everyone out

so we should concentrate our efforts on

the key evacuation areas in the

southwest

we should deploy the bulk of our troops

and any available emergency service

personnel here agreed

but we'll be abandoning this entire

corridor of people in the southeast

burnsie lewisham

given the speed this thing moving we we

have no choice

we have to prioritize

focus on the south west mr boom right

next schedule briefing 15 minutes the

next press conference

move it

what are you doing there has to be a

lifeboat

or something on this truck

last time i promised

huh so far we're estimating that we

managed to clear over half a million

people living and working in the photo

a number of those still trapped a

waiting rescue has yet unconfirmed man

you know the rescue phase would be a

hundred times more difficult given the

time we had

i'm having to move my guys from pillar

to post because of road closures all of

which is losing us more time liaise with

transport

let's see what we can do to speed up the

movement of rescue personnel

commissioner we have to shut down the

gas and electricity mains

in deptford kennington campbell and

burmese the hospitals can only run

so long and back up jenny's and we're a

long way from having them all evacuated

it's that or we could have another fire

of london on our hands

we're getting reports of heavy flooding

at tower hill on most of the main roads

into the city

a lot of the major routes out are now

unusable most of the bridges are

currently gridlocked the links

between south london and the north have

been effectively severed

liaise with major general ashcroft and

see if any of the um

military carriers can get through it's

crucial that we don't leave these areas

in the south cut off from support

what's happening with the railway

stations oh dockland light row is clear

now

good work and your staff everyone's out

mom

hold on

sounds like they've got the trains

running again

oh no train i've ever heard

what is it is that from the tabs

what is it i don't know we gotta go

go go

commissioner what's happening in the

high risk facilities

prisons care homes hospitals richardson

could you pull up the uh hospitals

please

frontline hospitals have all been

cleared sir good except some thomases

i'm in trouble i'm afraid we've fallen

badly behind schedule

there simply isn't time now to get

ground transportation in there for the

chronically ill

oh

foreign

what did you do

i'm running as fast as i can

i can't open it it won't open

oh

come on

uh

oh

this is turning into one of the worst

natural disasters ever recorded

more than 200 000 people are still

unaccounted for

and emergency services are stretched to

breaking point

the scale of the disaster is a reminder

of what the citizens of new orleans

faced

two years ago londoners were taken

almost entirely by surprise as the storm

surge hit the thames estuary

the white house pledged support from all

u.s military personnel based here where

are they ten chinooks are on their way

from milton hall mom why is it taking so

long

what are our helicopters doing all in

the field i'm afraid moving evacuees

transporting medics to field hospitals

and currently we're airlifting 600

inmates from belmar prison

christmas

just make it first

hmm

uh

come back

come on

everyone's dumping the pound half a

million trades in the last hour alone

but how the hell is this happening get

me the treasury

communication of the treasury is

intermittent at the moment oh moyes from

the us federal bank is on hold you need

to take the report

arthur i'm here now how are you bearing

up

well on top of everything else the

pound's taking a beating

arthur we need your help unfortunately

we are all in the same boat

the dow has been hammered and the dollar

has dropped three percent in two hours

our first responsibility has to be to

stabilize our own

currency and markets you can't isolate

the us economy like that

when the river thames overflows it just

doesn't affect london

it floods wall street too point taken

but restoring confidence that the

currency market isn't going to be easy

we need time yeah and time is something

that neither of us have

and i don't need to remind you that the

united states has major financial

interests in this country

and if we go under the impact will be

felt all the way across the atlantic

get me the treasury whatever it takes

quick

okay

wow

why have you brought me here we need

your help sir my help

if i've been listening to when it

matters this catastrophe might never

have happened

it's not too late i'm sorry i can't help

you

i need to find my son there's not much

you can do for him out there

the best chance to help him is to help

us

you'll bury a breach model we need

access to it

and your projections for collateral

damage in the flood plains they may not

be relevant anymore of course they're

relevant

there are millions of lives still at

risk

i need access to my database on the

university server

if it's still up and running is there

anything else we can get you professor

yes my son rob he's the best marine

engineer

in the country his company is under

contract to the barriers

samantha morrison is in charge of

barrier operations yes sir

i think it hurt for defiant defense uh

defiant engineering robs the company

it's uh not far from the barrier but

it's on higher ground there's

just a chance they might if there's a

chance we'll find them

commissioner this may all be too late

but we have to try

hold on

okay hold on

it's okay it's okay i won't let you go

hurry up

please don't let me die you're gonna be

okay

okay

oh

ah

if you don't move you're gonna die we'll

be rescued if we stay put

somebody's flying squiggly

nobody's gonna rescue us you have to

come

please please come

hang on

come on

come on come on

thank you

come on

you're gonna die here

come on

no i can't swim

done keep going keep going

you always rising

how long do you reckon about 20 seconds

10.

oh my god

uh

it's a dead end

what are we gonna do we're just gonna

hang on

and we're going to think of something to

do

alright

hi christine this is me i'm with mel

we're okay we're safe

uh we're in canary wharf we're heading

for greenwich we've heard there's safe

points there

and we heard about what happened to

wicken if you can get a message back to

us please call back because

cause we're worried about you

i got a signal for a minute left the

message

hey you would do brave

no i wasn't yeah you were you were

braver than me

listen there was nothing we could have

done nothing at

all

come on

open it up

just one second sorry this can't wait

mom i'm afraid we have to shut down all

civilian mobile phone services

networks are overloaded it's beginning

to interfere with command control

procedures

all right it may take me a few minutes

mom

thank you

uh

calm down

you'll find another way out we'll find a

way

hi mom claire of course it's me thank

god

where are you mum i can hardly hear you

mom claire is emma with you yeah yeah

she's here with me

claire listen to me you have to get to

high ground

do you understand you're breaking up

but please don't worry we're okay

we need everyone out the cab now come on

girls i have to get out the cab what's

happening

i don't know what's going on

glad to stay together hold on to emma

just stay together

mobile phone service will be restored as

soon as possible

me

so

oh look at this

oh

it's soft

don't worry

huh

you're right dad yeah i'm fine you took

your inhaler didn't you

the worst is over i promise they're

gonna come and get it

okay they are how do you know that

they're gonna come and get us

and then we're gonna go and find mum

what makes you so sure she's even alive

because the alternative is more than i

think i can bear

okay we're here now

case somebody's coming

find yourself there they work they're

two boys

maybe they'll help us

you okay yeah

i don't know i don't know i'll go and

have a look okay

i'm having a look up there you stay here

coming in everywhere

the first service guys have scoffed all

the biscuits as usual so i bought you

these

tea coffee

they're damn smart girls mum of all the

times over the years

and i've sat with worried parents not

knowing where their kids are if they

hurt or i had no idea what they were

going through

after losing john

the girl

if any mom

no ifs not with clarinema

noise

just one variable can throw off an

entire forecast

worst storm in our history and i got it

wrong keith don't talk to yourself

we all got it wrong people make mistakes

every day but

mine's gonna cost lives

keep it together and we gotta do what we

can now

really hard to imagine

someone called duncan

so is it seriously what

i don't do serious anymore

what happened to us sam

it just didn't work out

what

i'm doing again

so many things i want to say

and i don't have the courage to say it

i have a tony i thought we could speak

to tony

for the rest of my life

and now he's gone

and dad he's lived with what's happening

today

his whole career

and i've spent years hating you for it

i got it wrong sam

you've lost so many things

water's pouring in up there there's no

way out from here

all right look

i think i've got a bit of a plan if

memory serves me

about 150 meters down there on the other

side

there's an air shaft if it's not flooded

we could perhaps get to ground level

that way

during the blinks hundreds of people

have come down using these tunnels as

shelters yeah

the government put up these massive

steel blast doors

closed them in sealed them in from the

explosives right

there's got to be one for this station

they're under something official like a

tube map or something if we can find it

get it closed

it could buy enough time to get that air

shaft and get out here

yeah right yeah

run

hey

that's it

come on

again

so

yeah is

hey you all right i think i found a way

out

okay

so this must be what bill's talking

about

all right hi

you're gonna have to climb you're only

safe here for five minutes

i really don't think i can make it all

right oh you can yeah

you'll be fine no you will follow me and

you'll be fine

good night this is crazy if one of us

slip

we'll all go and i was gonna fall away

no one's gonna fall

no one's gonna fall just keep looking up

going

honestly

the latest indications are that the

storm was turned it's moving away

heading south

that's not the point the crucial issue

is when will the surge

lose momentum that's what i'm saying no

storm no service but the surge this

powerful would maintain its own momentum

and for a long time what do you mean

it could take out the rest of the city

are you saying we haven't seen the worst

of it all of those people at the safety

points

including your rescue teams are at high

risk

do you see that mr hopkins

that's just two people there are

countless

others depending for their next breath

on the accuracy of your forecast

as are we

uh

hey

hey keep your eyes on me

just keep looking at me you can do it

keep there you go

keep looking at me

there you go

we're doing well

give me your hands

i'm all right

oh

i'm gonna look around

by my calculations the water will be six

to eight feet deep here

here but only one or two feet deep here

yeah

yeah so these are the roads your people

should be using to get survivors to

greenwich park and other safety points

so these are our key evacuation

corridors but if these are our only

access routes

land-based search and rescue in these

other areas going to be well-known

possible

i need more air support all our rear

support is already deployed um pilots

are massively demonstrated

they're already flying longer than a

safe or legal and

my guys aren't overstretched they're

fighting a monster out there

you can't expect miracles from us if

this is all we've got to work with

like firemen are dying out there

how's it looking down there not good

water's still rising

you didn't take your inhaler

you don't have it do you i lost it

earlier i'm down there i'm fine

honestly dad

actually not so honestly but i'll manage

we're gonna be all right we're gonna get

through this

oh don't tell me i'm in a no smoking

area i don't need to

you know

i'm sorry there's no excuse for what

just happened in there no

there's usually a pretty good reason

i had a team go into a care home

the residents were abandoned by the

carers

we were too late

the team are a mess and

if i'm honest with myself i don't know

what to say to them

well you tell them they tried

and that no one could ask anymore

and you thank them for their courage

and then you move on fix the next

problem

all of us

yes

thank you

oh

i tried the four lines are down

alive

oh

how could anyone survive this

hello hello can you put me through the

copa

yeah can you repeat that

yes that's right put them straight

through we want to talk to them mom

yes i think you'll want to take this

call is it her name

claire

yeah that's that's fantastic news wait

there's someone here you should speak to

me i'll pass you over

yeah okay i wasn't here it's you

rob oh thank god

i thought you were yeah i'm i'm still

here i just can't believe it's you

where are you at central london what's

left of it

we you stand with you yeah yeah she's

here

rob i may need your help i'll make sure

your birth picks up

as soon as possible i can't tell you how

relieved i am

no rob i need to speak to sam can you

put her on

yeah sir leonard

sam oh god it's so good to hear your

voice listen sam about the barrier

what do you think it's still operational

oh

oh god well i can't imagine the barriers

in very good shape

is there any way we could open the gates

manually

well yeah no no you could override the

auto setup

but i think access would be an issue sam

i think the barrier is our answer

but we need to rendezvous defiant first

okay

mom we're redirecting four chinooks to

these safety

commissioners do you have a miracle for

us professor

i don't know about a miracle

tides ebb and flow like clockwork we can

tell

the timing of high and low tide on the

river

a hundred years from now and

right although the surge is still

plowing its way up river the water level

here

downriver of the barrier is beginning to

fall with the outgoing tide

the closed barrier usually is acting

like a dam

keeping the water level high on the city

side

if we lower the barrier the water

upriver can drain into the estuary

what we then need is a force which in

effect

increases the rate at which the tide

ebbs

is that something we could actually

create there may be a way

zack yeah

we're going to go now

why have to find something for this leg

before we picked up want you to stay

and look after the others okay

you'll be safe here someone comes in

all right yeah

thank you well

thank you

the storms dumped nearly four inches of

rain upstream and of course that's

swirling the river massively

these locks they're all at breaking

point

to stop the surge plowing its way any

further upriver

i think we should open these flue skates

let the whole lot flush

downstream

we'll need exact timings from the met

office of course so that the whole

operation

coincides with the ebbing of the tide

richardson

get me manpower availability estimates

in these areas

i'll take that off there there there

what if we open the sluice gates

wouldn't we just be releasing even more

water into the floodplain

of course but if we get the timing right

with the barrier open

we'll have the water from the sluice

gates counteracting the surge

and the outgoing tide pulling it back

down the estuary

hopkins where the hell's hopkins

i need him here

give me the waterways manager

commissioner

has the danger pass yes yes or no i

believe that

it's heading straight forward

sir safety points are filling up

we're running out of fresh drinking

water we're gonna need to requisition

more transport within the next 30

minutes

right but make sure you coordinate with

that girl oh and

do you speak to the pm shortly do we

know yet how many people didn't get out

latest estimate is um 200 000 sir

oh

peace

stars

and so we ask for your understanding and

prayers

for those who are braving terrible

conditions in a bid to save lives

this is just the start of a terrible day

of reckoning for london

rescue services are undeniably strange

and we have to face the consequences

and preparing us for the worst loss of

life

on this scale something we've never

experienced before in this city

i believe london will survive and we

will recover

thank you i don't think anyone made it

may i join you

our only reason for being here is to

save lives

and god knows how many we lost out there

failed or i did

you've done everything humanly possible

countless people

owe their lives to you including me

have you seen the pictures who could

have survived sir

my girls are out there i don't even know

where they are

what are their names glad emma

that's the tricky one goes round with me

and was the peacemaker just like her dad

was sounds like a pretty

unbeatable combination to me

this thing isn't over not by a long talk

if we can lower the barrier we would

force this thing back

that sounds like the old leonard

morrison who liked to cause trouble all

those years ago

trouble me

any um luck finding salmon brub merson

still trying to look at them

look at this place

let's go

this time

sam we don't have time for this just one

minute

all right thank you

it's hopkins what about him

his body's just been found

i should have seen this coming oh no

i'm sorry

see if you can trace this next of ken

well

oh oh

bloody hell

does duncan make you laugh yeah all the

time

bloody does now

we need to get this looked at properly

i really miss you

now you're supposed to say it

don't worry you know what i'm saying

don't you remember there's reasons

oh no no i gave you them

it's the stupidest thing i've ever done

in my life

and i'm sorry it's my biggest regret

he isn't safe yet i better get going

stand still we're not losers no he's

injured that's

we just broke in for medicine i would

have mentioned a bit about breaking in

but get in touch with commissioner nash

at cobra she can vouch for us

mr mrs morrison yeah you're a hard team

to track down

we've got instructions to take you to

defiance engineering

this all looks great but in real life

we're dealing with massive unpredictable

forces

i don't care what your model says

there's no way we can gauge

or predict what's going to happen when

these two bodies of water come together

it's a hell of a risk marble and the

chances of it working out the way the

professor thinks it will

must be a million to one it

i've taken all known variables into

consideration

including the issue of timing i think my

plan will work

grossly have you in the waterways team

looked at these figures

yes and i concur with the professors

they're as accurate as we can hope for

at this stage

we have to get out of here

i've got an idea

be back in a minute come on dad

can you come and help us and you

blind faith in computer models is what

got us into this mess in the first place

ignoring computer mode please what are

the timing issues

low tide at the barrier is 10 45 a.m

for this to work we have to open this

loose gates at

precisely 9 15.

the barrier gates will have to be

lowered before the snoozescape waters

reach them

barrier is not currently operational as

you well know yeah indeed but i've

spoken

with samantha morrison there is a way of

lowering the barrier but we don't have

much time

if the barrier gates can't be lowered

then the plan with the sluice gates

won't work

we'll be gambling with millions of lives

so you're asking me to open the sluice

gates unleashing millions of gallons of

water before we know for sure whether we

can lower the barrier

how sure are you

i'm sending my son and daughter-in-law

to the barrier

does that answer your question

i need to brief the dpm before we do

this richardson

they found us

i just when we thought that no one could

have survived thousands of people

are holding up signs telling us they're

alive

they're people still alive thank god

sir i need to go ahead we're running out

of time

but i've already spoken to the prime

minister about it

but i need to know is this our only

option i'm afraid sir oh we do nothing

and i'm sure you'll agree that is not

enough

but this plan hinges on the barrier

gates opening when we know the

electronics have already been wiped out

completely

this backup system may not be

operational either

how sure are you in the work the

mechanized override facility is designed

to operate the gates in the event of an

electronic systems failure but you don't

have something certain about it

there's no guarantee that it will work

minister but this is our only hope

but the key thing is no we need a

decision

with a high risk of failure sir we

cannot take this action

sir we're out of options

we need to do this

minister i'll go to the barrier myself

go ahead

how's it going all set

are you sure you're okay to do this yeah

i'm fine

anyway we kind of uh

don't want us to be apart anymore

let's go

sleep

um

thank you

they're all that matter

it's good to see you dad

do you really think he's up to it

do you remember ever being able to talk

your son out of anything

he's so stubborn

i wonder why sir

we're opening this blue skates we need

to get airborne

where is she

dad look at all those pictures

do you think that they're all well

well no i mean i expect they'll be

rescued

you know we were i'm sure i'm sure they

will

commander brian if we don't open the

barrier in time our ability to manage

this disaster will be non-existent

within two hours this control center

will be taken out

i understand give me professor certainly

mom

commissioner professor morrison the

surge is moving further inland

you're absolutely sure it shows no sign

of stopping as fuller downloaded the

latest projection

yes

we're counting on you understood

i always hoped we might work together

not like this one what we're trying to

do is very dangerous

i'll take my step no one knows the

barrier like me

it's my job even if it kills you

i won't let anyone else take my place

rob i know i haven't been much of a

father no no i wasn't much of a husband

i'm sorry i doubted it's obvious now

why the work meant so much

this is where we are in the backup

control room

this is the room we need to get to it

houses the manual override which will

allow us to drain the lat room

the problem is that this room will be

flooded and there's a good chance that

all these

access routes are also underwater so

what are you suggesting

all the sluice gates up river have been

open we're on a clock here

we need to drain the lightroom in order

to operate the hydraulics that will open

the barrier

now even if we do make it as far as the

override room

the barrier's anti-terrorist motives

will activate and there will be no way

back out

the drainage system is only operable

when the room is sealed from the inside

whoever goes into this room is gonna run

out of air before the door can be

reopened from the other side

this is a death sentence

this is madness we need a contingency if

they don't succeed

what do you suggest there is only one

option mom

the barrier gates must be destroyed we

don't have the authority

i'll get it

sam i can't let you do this

whatever happens on this barrier is my

responsibility

i have to sam listen this is no longer a

civilian responsibility

a senior officer here it's my duty

i need you both here to operate the

latch release

i've made my decision

commander you're a brave man

but we both know it can't be you

you don't know this barrier well enough

it makes sense

no i won't why you know why

he doesn't know enough to go down there

i'm asking you

is

prime minister all our aircraft are

fully armed and fueled

i must reiterate time is of the essence

i don't need to be reminded of that

major general

what is the status of the rescue

operation of the barrier well that's

difficult to tell at the moment we're

still having communication problems with

the team on the ground

that's all we need right now i don't

want our handling of this crisis to come

under any more question

we are monitoring it minute by minute

major general your aircraft are to

remain on the ground at the present time

deputy prime minister

give me a reason to delay this

hello

there

open the door open the door

dad

yes of course commissioner prime

minister for you

prime minister commissioner i need an

update search waters are continuing to

work their way upstream

their momentum has slowed but we have

major damage and

further potential loss of life at

chelsea clapham hammersmith and

putney and the skate waters that have

been released to combat this surge

current estimates suggest a confluence

between the bluescape waters and the

surge

in less than 30 minutes it's not enough

commissioner

you're giving me very few options

my

mom commander bryant's on the line from

the barrier

good signal a bit patchier

commissioner nash are you receiving me

yes yes

commander brian a situation has arisen

we're under pressure from the prime

minister and the military

unless you give me something concrete we

have less than 10 minutes before

aircraft are ordered to take off and

destroy the barrier

mom professor morrison is currently

trying to engage the manual override

system he may need more than 10 minutes

i need an exact time i can't be more

precise you don't know when he'll be

back

buy me all the time you can mom

professor morrison won't be coming back

so

so

the lower lightroom will drain in two

minutes you should be able to access the

pump room now

okay let's go

don't be crying these guys

come on to brian this is how morrison

put me through the commissioning

place

we've begun priming the gates as soon as

it's completed i can open the barrier

no we just need two more minutes

before it can open prime minister we

need to get the aircraft to the barrier

now we're running out of time

prime minister we need a decision major

general

you have my authority to destroy the

barrier

we have a go you're clear for takeoff

sam you all have to get out of there now

it's too late ma'am

we're gonna finish this

it's only a matter of minutes mom

that's it

follow me

quickly get those pencils ready

okay

we're minutes away from the barrier

sir any minute now this blue skates

waters are going to meet the sun i know

that damn it

commissioner nash status report could

just bear with me a few moments prime

minister

mario sam they've done it the gates are

opening they've done it

they've done it the gates are opening

stand them down ashcraft abort i repeat

a vote

so

all right

dad dad

here she's gotta be here

i'm gonna go and find her mom

thank you

he left

he loved you

i'm sorry dad

thank my father

uh

oh

oh

oh

r

so

days

you