 |
| The horror of flooding - no one knows what the weather might bring |
A NEW Environment Agency campaign to raise awareness of actions Grimsby residents can take to prepare for flooding has been launched - 70 years on from the east coast storm surge.
Households in the town are starting to receive information leaflets through their doors.
The information is urging them:
* To know what actions to take if the area is flooded
* Where to find help and support if needed
* How to take action to increase their resilience to future flooding.
The campaign will focus on seven wards in Grimsby: East Marsh, West Marsh, Sidney Sussex, Park, Heneage, Yarborough and Freshney.
Signing up for flood warnings- external site that warn of flooding from rivers, seas and groundwater.
Says Ben Thornely, Environment Agency Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for Lincolnshire: "We are seeing more extreme weather due to climate change.
"We also expect an increase in the speed of sea level rise which will increase tidal flood risk in Grimsby.
"The best way to be prepared is to sign up to our Flood Warning Service and to have a plan in place so you know what to do should flooding occur."
Grimsby and the surrounding area is susceptible to a number of different types of flood risk:
* Tidal flooding from the sea
* Fluvial flooding from the River Freshney and New Cut Drain
*Surface water flooding from heavy downpours
Of the 75,634 properties in North East Lincolnshire, 46 per cent (34,981) are located within Flood Warning Areas, and more could be at risk of flooding.
Flooding can cause up to £30,000 of damage to a home, resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder.
There are still many old enough to recall the devastating East Coast tidal surge on 31 January and 1 February 1953.
This disaster caused the death of 307 people, destruction and damage to 24,500 homes.
The most serious tidal surge in recent times was on December 5 2013 where an estimated 1,100 homes and businesses were flooded along the East Coast.
Before that, in 2007, flooding impacted more than 600 homes in North East Lincolnshire including those on Grimsby’s Willows estate and in parts of Immingham, Stallingborough, Healing, Great Coates, Humberston and Waltham.
Locally, flood defences are managed by the Environment Agency, ABP and North East Lincolnshire Council.
Due to the enormous economic importance of the Humber Estuary and the scale of tidal flood risk, the Environment Agency and 12 local authorities are working in partnership to develop a strategy that will address the risk and enable sustainable growth now and for the next 100 years.
People can report flooding via the Environment Agency Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
Over the past decade, millions of pounds of investment has been made in flood defences in the area, including:
* Concrete wave walls installed around the port between 2013 and 2016, at a cost of £19m
* River Freshney flood alleviation scheme which diverts water to a storage reservoir, away from people’s homes. It benefits the Willows estate and properties next to the river downstream. It was constructed in 2000, with improvements in 2012
* A £1.5m rock groyne was completed in 2017 to re-establish sand levels on the North Promenade beach in Cleethorpes and reduce the impact of the waves hitting the sea wall
* Since 2011, more than £1m has been spent on reinforcing the coastal defences at the Humberston Fitties
Grimsby is one of 25 pilot projects to have received a share of the £150-million Defra-funded Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Project.
* Available (£2) as an e-book via Kindle:
No comments:
Post a Comment