Flood charity’s helpline braced for calls this winter

Flooding in Rochdale Town Centre

A year on from the floods that deluged communities across the north of England last December, the National Flood Forum’s helpline is on standby to support people across Greater Manchester at risk of flooding this winter.

In the eye of the 2015 winter storms, calls to the charity’s helpline more than doubled compared to the previous year and increased by a third as compared to the devastating floods that wreaked havoc on Christmas celebrations in 2013/14.

The charity’s helpline provides practical and emotional support to anyone affected by flooding and calls to the service spike in the immediate aftermath of a flood event.

From December to January 2015/16 as Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank caused widespread flooding, the helpline took hundreds of calls from people who were most commonly concerned about insurance difficulties - including having no insurance, the process of reinstating a home and financial support to help people recover.

The National Flood Forum also offers face-to-face support once the emergency services have left and for the many months afterwards. In the aftermath of Storm Desmond a team of staff from the charity undertook a 16-day tour of 20 flood-hit locations across Cumbria, in partnership with other agencies*, and gave advice to more than a thousand people with flooding concerns.

The process of recovering from a flood can take anything from six months to two years and beyond. Many of those who were affected last year are only just returning to their homes in readiness for this Christmas.

Paul Cobbing from the National Flood Forum said: “The impact of flooding is often reported in terms of financial cost - how much the insurance industry has paid out, loss to business and the local economy, the bill for repairing infrastructure…but what about the human cost and impact on people?

“Recovering from a flood turns people’s lives upside down. Everything that was once normal is changed.

“That’s why we exist as a charity – to offer our support and expertise with everything from insurance battles, to managing the painstaking rebuild of a home and very commonly the emotional burn out and stresses that people face.

“Flood recovery is all-consuming and as we approach another winter we know that the sound of rain can send people into a panic that they may have to face it all over again.”
Colette Jones is Chair of the Radcliffe Flood Action Group which was created after flood water devastated 400 properties across Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, last Christmas. She said:

“Christmas is now a time of dread. From children having nightmares to the sad loss of a resident who couldn’t cope with the stress of it all and sadly passed away. The emotional toll and repeating fear that it could all happen again has left us feeling helpless, stressed, bewildered, angry and extremely frightened.

“Our sense of security is now so shattered we have been left feeling vulnerable and uncertain about what the future may hold. How can you make your home flood resilient when the surveyor tells you it will cost more than £35,000 to fully protect your home yet the grant is only £5,000?

“How can you plan for the future when you know your home, that you have worked and paid for all of your working life, may never sell leaving you trapped and frustrated because you cannot ever move?”

Paul Cobbing added: “There’s no doubt that flooding is traumatic. Experience shows that after surviving a disaster people can have a variety of reactions.

“You may feel like you can cope with just one thing at a time.

“You might find it hard to retain information and things that you are told.

“You could feel stressed and find everyday things that you could usually deal with become hard to cope with.

“You live from day-to-day. Planning for the future feels impossible. You need to get through the immediacy of what’s going on.

“All of these reactions to being flooded are normal human responses. If you feel you can’t cope, speak out. Help and support is available.”

The National Flood Forum helpline is open during office hours, Monday to Friday and can be contacted on 01299 403055 or email info@floodforum.org.uk

To support the charity’s work with flooded people and communities across England and Wales, text RAIN07 to 70070 to make a donation.