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- Healey - 100 flood-hit families returning home each week
Healey - 100 flood-hit families returning home each week
| Published | 4 December 2008 |
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Fresh support announced for families in caravans
Floods Recovery Minister John Healey today said that with around 100 families returning home each week over 19 out of every 20 households displaced by the 2007 summer floods will be back in their homes for Christmas.
But Mr Healey is still concerned about families facing a second Christmas in caravans so he is linking up with council leaders in Hull, East Riding and Tewkesbury - the worst affected areas - with a fresh offer of support for these families.
The Minister said that good progress to get as many people as possible home for Christmas continues. Of the 17,000 families who had to leave their homes because of the floods, as of mid-November almost 19 out of 20 of them were back, with around 1,000 still out their own homes or living upstairs. All council and housing association tenants across the country are back home. But with around 100 families returning home each week these figures are set to halve by Christmas.
Around 10 per cent of those households are living partly or entirely in caravans. Despite the much wider scale flooding last summer, progress compares well with the 2005 floods in Carlisle where one in ten displaced households were still not back after 18 months.
Council officials will make personal visits to around 100 families in caravans in the worst affected areas to identify what help and advice they need. Some will return home before Christmas but those who won't will be offered a fresh 'caravan safety check', advice on dealing with rogue builders and up to £200 per family to help with extra energy costs over the winter. Any problems with insurance companies will be passed to John Healey who has committed to take these up personally with industry chiefs.
These councils have also said that over the Christmas period they will offer children affected by the floods a special 'Santa package' - free show tickets, entry to sports centres or events that mean they have some fun after a difficult 18 months.
Mr Healey paid tribute to the thousands of people who helped the country get back on its feet and families back in their homes following the 2007 summer floods - one of the largest recovery efforts since the Second World War.
In most cases there are reasons why the return home has been held up including families opting for extra building work on top of repairs, discovery of pre-existing damp problems, repairs being done before properties are properly dried out, problems with rogue builders or lack of home insurance. But the Minister continues to work with the insurance industry to ensure outstanding issues are resolved as quickly as possible.
Properties need to be dry before they can be repaired and this is the main reason why it has taken time to get people home and companies back in business. The Minister today announced work to bring together everything known about how to quickly dry out flooded buildings to see if more can be done to accelerate this process in the future. This study will be part of the Government's comprehensive action plan responding to Sir Michael Pitt's review of the floods to be published shortly.
On a visit to East Riding to visit a flood-hit family who will shortly return home John Healey said:
"The scale of last summer's floods meant we faced one of the largest recovery operations since the Second World War. It hasn't been easy and it has taken time but affected areas are now largely back on their feet thanks to the extraordinary efforts of councils and other local agencies.
"Government has played its part with over £135m for repairs to roads and schools as well as help for flood-hit businesses. Councils have also used this money to help their communities in a wide range of ways. Whether to fund a temporary launderette in Tewkesbury, replacement cookers and furniture for families in Hull, social events for youngsters in Doncaster and cash grants in many areas the Government's swift and targeted help was widely welcomed by communities.
"But while over 16,000 families are now back home, and 100 are returning each week, I want those who are not to know that they are not forgotten and not on their own. I am especially concerned about families facing a second Christmas in caravans. That's why I am linking up with council leaders in the worst affected areas to offer fresh help for these families. This includes a personal visit from a council official to explain what help is available, caravan safety checks, advice dealing with rogue builders and up to £200 per family to help with energy costs over the winter. And I will personally take up any insurance problems these families have directly with industry chiefs.
"We must learn from this experience and plan for future events. My priority is getting people back in their homes and companies back in business as quickly as possible. One of the main reasons for delays has been the time it has taken for properties to dry out. So I have kicked off a study to bring together everything known about how to quickly dry out flooded buildings. There is a lot of experience and good practice but it is right we see if more can be done to accelerate this process.
"I don't underestimate how difficult the last 18 months have been for the communities affected. But many lessons have been learned and we are now better placed to deal with future flooding on this scale or other major incidents. I would like to thank Sir Michael Pitt for his significant contribution to this."
Notes for editors
Last year saw the wettest summer since records began in 1766, leading to the worst floods for a generation. There was widespread damage with 48,000 homes and 9,000 businesses affected, causing £3.1bn damage and prompting over 180,000 insurance claims.
The following table shows the number of households still out of their homes following last summer's floods as of 17 November 2008 - including those living partly or completely in caravans, as provided by local authorities. We know that around 100 families are returning home each week so these figures will already be lower - possibly halved by Christmas.
| Local Authority | Households wholly or currently displaced by the 2007 summer floods (17/11/08) | Households living wholly or partially in caravans (17/11/08) |
| City of Kingston upon Hull | 303 | 32 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 245 | 55 |
| Cotswold | 54 | 0 |
| Doncaster | 48 | 1 |
| Malvern Hills | 42 | 2 |
| Bassetlaw | 36 | 2 |
| Tewkesbury | 34 | 8 |
| West Berkshire | 31 | 0 |
| Wychavon | 31 | 3 |
| West Oxfordshire | 26 | - |
| Vale of White Horse | 22 | - |
| Rotherham | 21 | - |
| Barnsley | 18 | 0 |
| Oxford | 16 | 0 |
| Stratford-upon-Avon | 15 | - |
| Chesterfield | 13 | 1 |
| East Lindsey | 12 | 3 |
| North Wiltshire | 12 | 3 |
| North Lincolnshire | 12 | 1 |
| Wakefield | 9 | 0 |
| Swindon | 8 | 0 |
| Forest of Dean | 7 | 1 |
| Gloucester City | 6 | 1 |
| Herefordshire | 6 | 0 |
| West Lindsey | 4 | 3 |
| Cheltenham | 3 | 1 |
| Wokingham | 3 | 0 |
| Birmingham | 2 | - |
| Kirklees | 1 | 1 |
| Warwick | 0 | 0 |
| Stroud | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1040 | 118 |
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