Support for those affected by flooding in Kirklees
Funding will be available to help local residents and businesses repair the damage caused to properties by flooding as people across Kirklees continue to pull together in the aftermath of Storm Ciara.
Leader of Kirklees Council Shabir Pandor has praised the efforts of everyone who has helped battle the impacts Storm Ciara has had on the borough and says financial support will be made available to repair damaged properties.
The storm dropped record amounts of rain on Kirklees in a 12-hour period on Sunday 9 February 2020 and resulted in flooding in a number of areas.
An emergency planning hub was set-up on the morning of 10 February with Kirklees Council’s acting Chief Executive, emergency planning officers, communication officers, highways officers and a flood specialist officer joined by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Yorkshire Police.
The team closely monitored the situation, helping carers to access some of the most vulnerable residents, inspecting an at risk bridge and worked with Northern Powergrid to ensure more than 3,000 people without power were safe. They also worked with Yorkshire Ambulance Service to deal with a very high volume of calls.
Council officers were out in communities closing roads where necessary and knocking on doors in the worst affected areas to offer assistance where they can.
We took more than 1,100 phone calls during 10 February – which is ten times the usual figure. Demand continues to be busy, with 270 calls made to the housing repairs line so far.
Councillor Pandor said:
“The impacts of the flooding at the weekend have devastated some of our communities and it’s heart-breaking to see. My thoughts are with everyone affected.
Yes, we could always do more. The impact of Government cuts to flood and coastal defences, the changes in our climate due to global warming and trying best to predict how the weather will change all has an impact – along with other West Yorkshire leaders I am continuing to press Government to invest more in counter measures for flood defences.
A positive in all of this is to see, once again, how our borough comes together in times like these. We’re really proud to have been part of a huge team which included local people, councillors, emergency services, community groups, business and many more who all did what they could to help in such terribly challenging circumstances.
We’re just one part of a very large network of people who offered their time and resource to battle the impacts of the storm and I’d like to thank everyone for their tireless efforts.
I’m really proud of the efforts of council staff and our partners. I can’t say that everything went perfectly because in times of crisis the pressure is enormous but what I can absolutely guarantee is that we will all take a step back and see what we can learn from this.”
Helping local residents, organisations and businesses
We are now keen to work with local residents, organisations and businesses who have been left with damaged properties due to the floods. We will be looking to access government funding but is also prepared to offer money from its own budget to make sure funds are available for those who need it. A free bulky waste collection is also available for residents affected by flooding.
Cllr Pandor added:
“We want to work with local people, organisations and businesses affected by the flooding to make sure they have the support they need. Please contact us so we can do what we can to help.
Funding will be available to help those who need to repair their properties following the extreme weather conditions.
Government money might be available but we are prepared to provide funding ourselves so everyone can come back from this as quickly and as effectively as possible.”
Contact us
If you have been impacted by the flooding contact floodmanagement@kirklees.gov.uk or 01484 221000 to access support.
More information
For more information visit our website.