Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

David Taylor, from the Red Cross, said the organisation was doing its best to help people who could be left homeless for months.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, tells the Today programme Storm Desmond was "an unprecedented event". 

"The rivers rose to such a level that in some parts of Cumbria they overtopped our flood defences. But it's important to say that many households were protected by our defences."

He says even where they were overtopped, the defences played an important role in minimising the damage and giving people time to prepare.

BBC Breakfast

The BBC's Carole Walker says the government will inevitably come under pressure in the days ahead over whether it has done all it can to prevent flooding like this. 

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said ministers must back up their commitment to what they call "the Northern Powerhouse" with more money to help communities recover.

BBC Breakfast

The BBC's Dave Guest, outside the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, says mains power has been restored to that part of the city. Over the weekend the hospital had to rely on a back-up generator to keep the accident and emergency department running.

Despite the power being reconnected, there are still many cancellations to clinics and operating lists at the hospital.

Today's Cobra meeting will be the second held to discuss the flooding situation. Following Sunday's gathering, Environment Secretary Liz Truss defended the efforts the government was making to protect communities from such incidents. 

She said: "We are delivering on our manifesto commitment to build 1,400 new flood defence schemes that will better protect 300,000 more homes. That's an extra £2.3 billion of capital investment to help our most at-risk communities."

There has been some criticism that flood defence systems built recently in Carlisle were not able to hold back the deluge.

Carlisle's football ground Brunton Park has been left under several feet of water. The club has said its players can offer their services to the town to help in any way with the clean-up operation.

This shows just how bad things are at the club ground, Brunton Park.

A lot of the focus has rightly been on Cumbria, but its neighbour, Lancashire, is also suffering. Following the flooding of an electricity substation, 55,000 homes lost power - and 10,000 of those are still cut off.

All routine outpatient appointments and most non-urgent elective operations have been cancelled at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe.

Lancaster University has also cancelled teaching until the end of term. 

Image source, Network Rail

Images like this reveal why the West Coast Mainline will be shut for several days. Somewhere under that water is a railway track...

BBC Breakfast

Jonty Chippendale runs a toy shop in Cockermouth, Cumbria, which has been flooded - and not for the first time. 

He tells BBC Breakfast: "The powerless time, the time when you're just standing there looking at nature trashing you, is the worst.

"The fightback starts now. We'll get the dehumidifiers in, we'll get it mucked out and we'll be open within the week even if its from a barrow in the street. 

"It's Christmas, we've got a toy shop and our customers need us to be open."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Stuart Young says a lot of money was spent on flood defences after those previous incidents, but Storm Desmond was exceptional.

Mr Young says there does need to be an investigation into the flood defences, adding: "We can't keep having incidents like these in Cumbria - we can't cope."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Stuart Young, leader of Cumbria County Council, tells Radio 4's Today programme the impact of Storm Desmond has been "absolutely massive" and even worse than previous floods in 2005 and 2009.

"It's been over a much more extensive area of the county," he said.

He said the council was "very concerned" about more rain forecast for later in the week.

One of the worst-hit roads was the cross-country A66, which was closed in both directions between the A591 at Keswick and the A5086 at Cockermouth. It's now back open - flood water from a nearby lake has receded.

The A69, however, remains closed.

For more, go to the Highways Agency website, external, or the BBC Travel site.

Our BBC colleagues in Cumbria are running their own, more local, live page on the aftermath. To follow updates, check it out.

Image source, Getty

The town of Appleby, near Penrith in Cumbria, has been left under several feet of water after the River Eden burst its banks. One resident, Sally Hutchinson, told the BBC:

The Environment Agency website , externalis the place to go to find out if there is a flood risk in your area. There are currently more than 40 severe flood warnings - meaning there is a danger to life - in Cumbria. You can enter your postcode on the website to find out if you could be at risk.

BBC News Channel

Malcolm Tarling, from the Association of British Insurers, said his industry was "mobilising a small army" of claims managers and others to help those affected by the flooding.

He also insisted people would still be able to get insured again in the future - even if they'd been flooded more than once.