By Pat Gillespie From Mashable

Princes William and Harry helped relief workers pack sandbags in the village of Datchet

Gale-force winds, heavy rains and significant flooding in the United Kingdom led to two deaths Friday.

A wave that crashed through the window of a cruise ship killed an 85-year-old man and injured many others, according to multiple reports. The man was airlifted to a hospital, along with another passenger, but later died. A female minicab driver, 49, also died when a building collapsed on her car.

Tidal surges and winds of up to 83 mph battered England’s southern coast most of the week, and more than 65,000 households are without power in the UK. There are currently 16 total severe-flood warnings in the UK, according to the UK Environment Agency.

The River Thames is at its highest levels in 60 years, forecasters told British news outlets. The weather will not let up over the weekend, and at least 5,000 military personnel are involved in the relief efforts. Even Princes William and Harry joined aid workers Friday west of London in the riverside village of Datchet to place sandbags along the River Thames, Bloomberg reported. British Prime Minister David Cameron said in an interview with Sky News that a European Union fund worth 10 million pounds would be made available to farmers affected by the flooding

“Of course we’ve got to protect houses first, but we have got to think about our farmers, too,” Cameron said. “That’s why we’re establishing this 10 million-pound fund, which will help farmers.”

PHOTOS:

Princes William and Harry during a week of severe storms in the UK.

(IMAGE: PETER MACDIARMID/GETTY IMAGES)

House in Flooded Town A home surrounded by water in Shepperton, United Kingdom. (IMAGE: DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES)

A car stuck in flood waters in Runnymede, United Kingdom. (IMAGE: BEN STANSALL/GETTY IMAGES)

Land lines surrounded by water in Burrowbridge, United Kingdom. (IMAGE: MATT CARDY/GETTY IMAGES)

A Gurhka regiment carries sandbags in Staines, United Kingdom. (IMAGE: DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES)

For more on this story go to:

http://mashable.com/2014/02/15/uk-storm/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

See also related iNews Cayman story published February12 “UK storms: Man dies amid ‘almost unparalleled natural crisis” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/uk-storms-man-dies-amid-almost-unparalleled-natural-crisis/

And

Published January 6 2014 “UK storms: Giant waves hit amid fresh flooding fears” at:

http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/uk-storms-giant-waves-hit-amid-fresh-flooding-fears/