Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith is to visit the flood-hit Somerset Levels, as more heavy rain is set to hit parts of the UK.
He will make his first trip since the floods to the area on Friday, where 30-40mm (1.2-1.6in) of rain is expected.
His visit comes as about 80 homes in the village of Moorland in Somerset have been evacuated.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said a "handful" of other residents had chosen to stay.
The local water level began rising after temporary flood defences were breached in the early hours of Friday.
'Absolute devastation'
An Avon and Somerset Constabulary spokesman said: "We have been informing local residents and strongly advising them to leave the area.
"Most are taking this advice and a rest centre has been established for those affected at Westfield Church on West Street, Bridgwater. The Royal Marines and search and rescue volunteers are assisting us with this.
"Police will remain in the area to help those who wish to evacuate. Access into the village will be monitored and along with the fire and rescue service we will be patrolling the area."
The water level rose by about one metre overnight.
Jan MacEacharn is one of the residents who has decided to stay. She said the water had not yet entered her home.
She told BBC Breakfast that she could not leave because she had a horse, cats and a dog that she did not want to leave behind.
"Everybody in this village is in absolute devastation," she said. "There's not a single person in this village that has got their home left."
Local farmer Jenny Winslade said she and her family had been forced to leave their home and ship 550 cattle off their farm.
"The water is rising at an unbelievably fast rate," she said. "The EA (Environment Agency) have completely lost control of the situation and it's a disaster zone out there."
Marines laid sandbags to help flood defences in the Somerset Levels
Rising water levels threatened homes in the village of Moorland
She said the family had been flooded for almost six weeks.
"If Lord Smith wanted to talk to us maybe he should have come three or four weeks ago," she said.
When asked what she would say to Lord Smith, Ms Winslade replied: "He's ruined our lives, he's ruined our business, he's ruined our friends' lives.
"Because of his neglect entire villages out here on the Levels are in a desperate, desperate situation."
Police said it was uncertain how long people who were evacuated would be out of their homes.
Plans are being put in place to decide which homes need to be evacuated in nearby Fordgate.
Military support
There has been flooding in other areas of the country, including parts of Kent, Oxford, Surrey and Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire.
In other developments:
Prime Minister David Cameron will chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra
The Ministry of Defence said about 40 Royal Marines from 40 Commando, based in Taunton, had been sent to the Somerset Levels to provide help sandbagging and moving householders' property to higher levels
Network Rail has announced plans to improve the "resilience" of coastal rail lines in Wales due to "extreme weather and changing climate"
Railway engineers working on section of railway track damaged by storms at Dawlish in Devon will continue with attempts to protect the track from the next bout of bad weather
Drivers had to be rescued by the emergency services and the Army in Suffolk after several cars became stranded in flood water following heavy rain overnight
Meanwhile, the Met Office has severe weather warnings in place for rain and wind in south and south-west England, the south Midlands and south Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has a flood alert for Tayside.
Carol Kirkwood has the forecast for Friday and the weekend
The Environment Agency has two severe flood warnings - meaning "danger to life" - in the Somerset Levels, at Salt Moor and North Moor including Moorland, and at A361 East Lyng to Burrowbridge. There are also more than 100 flood warnings across England and Wales, and more than 270 flood alerts.
BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood said that as the afternoon continues there will be a build-up of cloud, some showers before the rain will "steam in" accompanied by "gusty winds".
On Saturday "expect 70mph around the Welsh coasts, the south-western approaches and the English Channel, but anywhere with a bit more exposure we could easily see 80mph gusts," she said.
There will be "a lot of showers, some of those heavy and squally with hale and with thunder," she added.
The Met Office said it was the wettest combined December and January for more than 100 years. Rain fell on 23 out of 31 days in January across the UK.
On Thursday, the government pledged an extra £30m for flood repairs and maintenance as the prime minister defended the government's response to the storms.
The money is for this year, on top of an additional £100m previously announced to be spent next year.
The prime minister said more pumps were being sent to Somerset to clear roads, and that army engineers were working with rail workers on shoring up the section of railway linking Devon and Cornwall which had been badly damaged by storms.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles told MPs the government would carry out a "rapid review of the additional work needed to restore our flood defences and maintain them".
He also said 42 new flood defence schemes were planned for 2014-15.
The part of the railway that was destroyed in Dawlish, Devon, is considered a "vital" route linking London and the South West of England.
Tim Jones, from the Devon and Cornwall Business Council, said devastation of the line would cost the region's economy as much as £2m a day.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
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