London ( CNN ) -- After a wild and stormy night that claimed two lives , many communities in southern England face a high risk of flooding Saturday from still-rising rivers . Severe flood warnings are in place along the Thames Valley to the west of London , as well as in southwest and central England . The Environment Agency warned that flood risk will continue for at least another week . An elderly passenger died Friday aboard the British-based cruise ship MS Marco Polo after it was hit by a `` freak wave during adverse sea conditions , '' according to the ship 's owner , Cruise & Maritime Voyages . The rogue wave struck as the ship made its way into the English Channel en route from the Azores to its home port in Tilbury , southeast England , it said . As high winds whipped southern England on Friday night , a 49-year-old woman was killed when the front of a building collapsed onto her vehicle in central London , police said . Two other passengers in the car were injured . Police said the collapse happened during bad weather , but they were unable to say if it was directly related . On Saturday , amid increasing questions about the government response , Prime Minister David Cameron visited Chertsey , Surrey and thanked the military for its help during the crisis . The Environment Agency reported that 16 severe flood warnings remained in place Saturday , meaning there is a danger to life , as well as 151 lower-level flood warnings in different parts of the country . Thames Barrier , which is deployed to prevent the tidal river now flooding central London with devastating consequences , was shut for a record 16th consecutive time to help reduce flood risk along the Thames , according to the Environment Agency . The emergency will continue over the coming days for the Somerset Levels and Moors , where river levels continue to rise , posing a further threat to those already affected by recent flooding , the agency said . `` Despite an improving forecast the risk of flooding will continue for many communities in southern parts of England over the next few days , '' Paul Leinster , the Environment Agency 's chief executive , said in a statement . More rain is forecast over the weekend , pushing river levels ever higher . Homes sandbagged . After the wettest January in England in 2Â½ centuries , February has so far brought little relief . The River Thames has reached its highest levels for over 60 years in some places , bringing flood misery to thousands of people living in the Thames Valley . The towns of Maidenhead and Windsor , where the queen has a castle , and communities in the counties of Surrey , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire and Reading are all at risk from the Thames . Residents desperate to hold back the rising waters have sandbagged entrances to their homes and businesses . Princes William and Harry lent their help to the flood defense effort Friday morning , as they joined soldiers who hefted sandbags in the village of Datchet in Berkshire . There is also a risk of flooding on the River Severn in Gloucester and on the Somerset Levels , in southwest England . Some communities on the Somerset Levels have been inundated for weeks . As well as high river levels , saturated ground from weeks of heavy rain mean that there is nowhere for water to go . Severe gales , large waves and high sea levels were expected to bring a high risk of coastal flooding to parts of the Dorset coast on Saturday , the Environment Agency said . Other areas along the south coast of England will also be battered by extreme weather . Nearly 6,000 properties have been flooded since the beginning of December , more than 1,000 of them in the wealthy areas in the Thames Valley . Leinster said more than 1.3 million properties have been protected since the start of December through the Environment Agency and use of the Thames Barrier . CNN 's Erin McLaughlin , Talia Kayali , Chelsea J. Carter , Brian Walker , Ray Sanchez and Bharati Naik contributed to this report .
Rising waters will bring more flooding to communities near swollen rivers . Two people died there amid stormy weather , one when a rogue wave overturned a cruise ship . 20 severe flood warnings , meaning there 's a risk to life , are in place around England . Environment Agency says the flood risk will continue for at least a week .