A lifeboat and crew from Teesside has made a 120-mile dash by road to free 80 people stranded in a flood-hit building in Hull.
The six-man RNLI crew from Redcar has been scrambled to aid already stretched emergency services in the area.
An RNLI spokesman said the D-class dinghy-type vessel was "perfect" for the flood conditions in Hull.
The crew were also carrying additional first aid kits, ropes and lights to aid in the rescue effort.
Three people have so far died in the floods, which have struck Humberside and South Yorkshire.
'Specific rescue'
Hundreds of people have fled their homes, near Rotherham, amid fears a dam is about to burst after torrential rain.
The scenes were described as "unprecedented" and, in the view of the Environment Agency, "off the scale", it was said.
RNLI spokesman David Camish said: "We got a call from the Humber Coastguard, who asked for help with a specific rescue in Hull.
"No other emergency team has been designated this particular building, so our lads are trying to get there as quickly as possible.
"All we have been told is that 80 people are in need of rescue from a building in Hull. The crew won't even know where to go until they get closer to the scene."
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