Eighteen months after the floods, long term resilience plans get under way

On Friday 2nd June, The Press returned to the topic of the Boxing Day 2015 floods with an article about how the affected residents and businesses are faring today.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/15323421.Flood_victims_still_counting_the_cost/?ref=arc

Reporter Mike Laycock based his story of how flood victims are still counting the cost – financial and emotional – almost 18 months after their homes were inundated, on a report issued by the Two Ridings Community Foundation, which administers the York and North Yorkshire Flood Recovery Fund.

Many of the hundreds of residents whose homes were flooded when the Ouse and Foss rivers burst their banks in late 2015 have experienced long-term additional costs. Many have faced hikes in their insurance premiums or been refused cover altogether, with the national ‘Flood Re’ insurance scheme – which aims to ensure householders can renew cover after being flooded – failing to help everyone.

Now the Fund has embarked on an innovative ‘third phase’ of helping flood victims with their long term recovery, following the earlier phases of immediate support and then initial recovery.   The help will be aimed at reducing anxiety and ‘rebuilding the inner strength needed to create a ‘new normal after flooding’.   A ‘top tips’ video is being produced, which will highlight what works well and what doesn’t when flooding occurs.  The Fund is also bringing agencies together to improve the resilience of the James Street Traveller site, which was very badly flooded.   And the Fund is planning to develop flood resilience workshops, possibly with a travelling exhibition open to the wider community, and programmes to encourage residents to develop local emergency plans for their communities.