Britain has been lashed by more heavy rain as firefighters rescued people from flooded homes and Prime Minister David Cameron scrambled to deal with the crisis.
The deluge on Thursday continued a day after storms washed away a key coastal railway line, breached sea defences and sparked flood warnings.
Firefighters in the stricken southwestern counties of Somerset and Devon rescued 14 people from homes and stranded vehicles late on Wednesday and early on Thursday.
Rescuers in inflatable boats rescued four adults and three children from a house after a river burst its banks in Stoke St Gregory, a fire brigade spokesman said.
British authorities issued two severe flood warnings signifying a danger to life for the Somerset Levels, the worst-hit area, where one village has been cut off for a month.
Cameron personally took charge of the government's response on Wednesday after facing a growing tide of criticism for being too slow to aid stricken communities.
He announced an additional STG100 million ($163 million) for flood repairs and maintenance over the coming year.
Prince Charles visited the region on Tuesday, and said the "tragedy is that nothing happened for so long".
The main train service connecting Devon and the county of Cornwall with the rest of Britain has been suspended after part of the sea wall under the coastal railway line collapsed.
In a further sign of chaos, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, the minister supposed to be dealing with the crisis, had to take several days off to have an operation for a detached retina.
Paterson was widely mocked for forgetting to bring his Wellington boots with him when he toured sodden Somerset last week, turning up in shiny black shoes.
Britain has been lashed by storms and heavy rain throughout the northern winter, with parts of southern England seeing the wettest January since records began in 1910.
