Environment Agency holds Calderdale flood drop-ins

Staff from the Environment Agency will be working with the National Flood Forum, talking to residents in Calderdale this week who were affected by the recent flooding.

The team is holding drop-in sessions with partner organisations on:

Wednesday 4 July - Todmorden Market Place - on paved area between the Methodist Church and the Rose Tree Garden

Thursday 5 July - Hebden Bridge Visitor Centre car park

Friday 6 July - Mytholmroyd St Michael’s Church car park

All drop-in sessions will be held between noon and 7pm.

Representatives from Calderdale Council, Yorkshire Water, West Yorkshire Police, and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue service will also be at the sessions.

The National Flood Forum will bring its recovery trailer for the drop-ins, and staff from all key organisations will be on hand to answer people’s questions, and gather further information about how the flooding affected specific areas.

Area flood resilience team leader Jonathan Moxon said: “We would urge anyone who was recently flooded or are worried about flooding to visit the team in Calderdale this week.

“People from different organisations will be available to talk to, and to offer advice and support for people who have been flooded. There will also be information on how people can help protect themselves in the future. We can never prevent flooding altogether but there are steps that people can take to protect their property and families.

“The drop-in sessions also give us the opportunity to find out how the flooding affected different homes and streets. We can then use this information to build a more exact picture of where and when the flooding came from.”

Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Mytholmroyd are in the Upper Calder catchment which responds rapidly to rain. Heavy rain fell on Friday 22 June on to already saturated catchments, with up to 50mm falling in 12 hours.

Hebden Bridge recorded its highest ever river level at 3.311m, some 0.285m higher than June 2000, and flood warnings were issued to 177 properties in the area. A total of 52 properties in the area are not signed up to receive our flood warning.

Residents are urged to find out whether they are at risk of flooding by calling Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or by visiting our website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood

Eligible residents will be able to sign up to Floodline Warnings Direct which is a free service that sends you a direct message when flooding is expected and may affect your property. You can receive warnings by telephone, mobile, email, SMS text message or fax.

 

Photos from Hebden Royd