Flooding in the East Riding
Posted by Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, at 13:45, Thu 26 July 2007:
Hello,
I’ve been taken aback by how badly our area has been affected by the floods. According to the Council, at least 4,370 homes have now been flooded in the East Riding.
After the flooding began on Monday 25th June, I returned home from Parliament on the night of Tuesday 26th June to tour flooded areas on Wednesday 27th. From Beverley to Leven, Hedon to Withernsea, Skirlaugh to Burton Pidsea homes, possessions and crops were ruined.
The downpour was unprecedented and flooding was inevitable on some scale. I’m concerned, however, that more areas were flooded than necessary for longer than necessary. That’s why I have already met with the five main agencies involved: the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Police and the Fire Service for a preliminary discussion of our state of preparedness and our response to the floods.
Below is a press release I have sent out following this meeting and I am also sending out a survey to every household in Beverley and Holderness. The survey can be downloaded at www.grahamstuart.com and I hope as many people as possible will return the survey to me. It’s vital that we tap into local knowledge and experience in order to learn lessons for the future.
Best Wishes,
Graham
P.S. I have also spoken in debates on flooding and have questioned the new Secretary of State on the issue. To read one of the exchanges please go to http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2007-07-11a.446.1&s=speaker%3A11406#g453.0
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NEWS RELEASE 24th July, 2007
Local MPs identify key lessons for the future
Local MP, Graham Stuart, who met last Thursday with agencies involved in tackling the flooding disaster, called the meeting a definite “step forward” in identifying some of the key issues that need to be addressed in order to learn lessons for the future.
Graham met with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Humberside Police and Fire services, Yorkshire Water, Internal Drainage Boards and the Environment Agency, and was joined by Greg Knight, MP for East Yorkshire, and Cllr Andrew Percy, on behalf of David Davis MP.
Graham said, “It was an incredibly useful opportunity for the three MPs to learn more about the major issues from the agencies’ point of view, but also a great chance to feedback some of the problems raised by our constituents. Whilst everyone acknowledged that the unprecedented amount of rain overwhelmed infrastructure, from call centres through to sewerage works, we were certainly able to identify some of the key issues that now need to be addressed.”
One of the biggest debates focused on the farmers and Internal Drainage Boards, who all emphasised the need for water courses to be dredged and outlets at the Humber needing to be kept clear.
Graham said, “Although the Environment Agency strongly denied that any amount of maintenance of the drains and dykes would have prevented the flooding because of the sheer amount of rain, it was certainly questioned whether such maintenance would make a difference in the future if we are to expect continuous bad weather. The Environment Agency is reviewing its capital spending programme in the light of the floods, but my aim will be to ensure that programmed improvements to Burstwick and Skeckling Drains are not lost or sidelined in light of any reviews taking place.”
In addition, the group discussed how critical infrastructure such as power substations could be better protected in the future and the MPs pointed towards the lack of a register or catalogue of drainage pumps. It was also suggested that emergency services should have a database of voluntary rescue teams that can be called upon.
Graham continued, “The emergency services committed themselves to reviewing the resilience of their emergency call handling operations but we all raised the problem of a ‘responsibility gap’ between the different agencies, both in terms of the public being unclear who to contact in a flooding emergency and the lack of equipment for water rescue. The possibility of having a single call point was discussed and it was agreed that there needs to be clear direction from the Government. Without a doubt, the devastating events of the past month would act as a definitive catalyst for this.”
The Government has now announced that it will be undertaking a formal review, aimed at establishing whether the scale and impact of the flooding could have been predicted, prevented or mitigated, and whether all those involved in the response had access to the support, equipment and information they needed.
Graham said, “The East Riding of Yorkshire Council now estimates that 4,400 homes have been flooded, and that damage to roads is more than £14 million. Greg, David and I will use every possible opportunity to push for more funding to ensure that families can get back on track as quickly as possible. What we need more than anything is feedback of your experiences and understanding of what happened so that lessons can be learned at the highest level. I am sending out a survey to every home in Beverley and Holderness and I hope as many people will contact their MP with their views."
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