Flooding update 5 July 2007  - East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Insurance - Flood damaged property

From today (Thursday 5 July) the East Riding of Yorkshire Council has set up an insurance helpdesk in conjunction with leading national insurers for households affected by flooding in the East Riding. Calls to the helpdesk can be made via the Floodline 01482 393399.

By the end of next week all households with insurance within the East Riding should have received a visit from an insurance representative and by the end of the following week a visit from a building surveyor.

Please do not make contact if you have been visited, or have a visit scheduled.  However, if residents have not been contacted or are aware of someone who has not been contacted by an insurance company then call the Floodline 01482 393399

Drop in centres will be held by the insurance companies in the areas affected depending on demand and the progress of the cleanup campaign to provide guidance to individual households. Information on when the drop in centres are to be held will be publicised later.

Humanitarian Assistance

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is working closely with ERVAS (East Riding Voluntary Action Services) to provide help to East Riding Residents affected by the flooding including those without insurance cover. Any residents affected by the flooding requiring assistance should contact ERVAS on 01482 870177.  Any residents or businesses wishing to donate clothing or household goods to residents affected by the flooding should telephone ERVAS on 01482 870177.

In addition East Riding of Yorkshire Council is supporting the Hull Flood Fund and will be a participant.

Financial assistance

Support from Crisis Loans and the Department of Work and Pensions Social Fund can be applied for by contacting the Floodline, 01482 393399. Community Care Grants maybe available to victims of flooding from the national Social Fund. Contact may be direct to the Social Fund Helpline on telephone 0845 6088671 for help and advice.

Rogue Traders

Residents requiring help to clean and repair properties are warned to be on their guard when dealing with traders who knock on their door, without invitation, offering to carry out repairs or provide other services. For further advice and guidance telephone the Floodline 01482 393399

Clean-up – collection of damaged household property

Over 2000 properties have been affected by storm damage and flooding in the East Riding. Arrangements for removing flood-damaged property from homes are in place. Residents requiring damaged property to be collected are requested to call the Floodline, 01482 393399. 

Details of the items to be collected and insurance arrangements will be requested. It is essential however that insurance companies and their assessors have given clearance directly to residents for items to be removed before the Council is contacted. Insurance companies may be prepared to accept video or photographic evidence of property but this should be taken prior to disposal.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council will collect items as soon as is possible but cannot guarantee a same day service. When collecting items the opportunity is being taken to remove items from neighbouring properties, when in a village, if requested to do so on arrival.

These are exceptional circumstances and therefore residents will not be charged. The cost of disposing of storm damaged carpets and furniture can be claimed against household insurance. However to relieve as much pressure as possible from affected residents the Council will deal direct with resident’s’ insurance companies to recover the costs.

Flood associated food waste and other flood associated waste left in plastic bags alongside wheelie bins is being collected during normal waste collections to help minimise any health risks. 

The normal bulky collection service is running slower than usual in parts of the East Riding not directly affected by the flooding due to the exceptional demand and the need to give priority to those areas most affected. Residents are asked to understand if we are not providing our usual level of prompt service.

Those with disabilities, special needs and the elderly

The Council is especially concerned for the welfare and safety of the elderly and most vulnerable including those with special needs and disabilities. From the start of the emergency the Council has been contacting these residents and working to ensure that they are safe and secure and visited as required. It is of course possible that there still remain some residents who require further assistance and if any member of the public is aware of someone requiring assistance then they are asked to contact the Council via the Floodline, 01482 393399, or by visiting one of our Customer Service Centres.

Village cleanup

Street cleaning, flood damaged household property collections and gully cleaning is already underway in Hedon, Hessle, Anlaby, Leven, Burstwick and Cottingham. 

Once the initial cleanup has been undertaken further work will be required in affected villages to bring them back to normal.

Council Tax

As a result of the recent flooding, many East Riding residents have had to leave their homes. In these circumstances, residents can apply for a council tax exemption, which means they will not have to pay council tax on the affected property for an initial period of up to six months.

Where properties have been structurally damaged and in need of major repairs, and residents are unable to live in their homes after six months, then a further exemption can be claimed for an additional six months. In order to claim an exemption, properties must be unoccupied due to flood damage. Anyone wishing to claim an exemption can telephone Billing and Collection on (01482) 394747 or call into their local customer service centre.

Highways

It is hoped that Springfield Way, Anlaby will reopen tomorrow (Friday 6 July)

Spittal Bridge at Fangfoss, on the C4, the road between Pocklington to Full Sutton road and requires significant work following a partial collapse and will be closed for sometime. A local diversion is in place and sign posted.

Normal Highways operations will resume from Monday 9 July.

Pooling of water

The Yorkshire Wolds has a large number of natural springs, which can surface following periods of heavy rain. Some of these springs are adjacent to highways. Drivers are reminded to be alert and drive with care on affected roads, and in particular the more minor roads, as hitting the water at speed can be dangerous and lead to drivers being blind to oncoming traffic due to the volume of water hitting the windscreen.

Pooling of water, particularly on road surfaces, can occur following short bursts of rain when the ground is waterlogged. This will clear relatively quickly after rain has stopped and residents are requested not to contact the Floodline before the drains have had the opportunity to carry the water away. If the pooling shows signs of worsening significantly then telephone the Floodline 01482 393399.

Specialist advice

Specialist advice on the following topics is available on the Floodline 01482 393399

Business Support – advice to businesses affected by the flooding

Housing – accommodation

Building Control – structural issues

Safer Communities – living safely, anti-social behaviour

Highways – road network

Streetscene – including collections and flood damage, contaminated waste, street cleaning

Environmental Health – health issues

Council Houses

Over 300 Council owned houses have been damaged as a result of the storms and flooding. The cleanup of these properties has already started with the worst affected being visited first. Clean-up of the first 50 most seriously affected properties in Anlaby, Hessle, Burton Pidsea, Withernsea and Beverley has started and all the remaining properties will have been scheduled by Thursday

Schools

There has been substantial damage to schools but following a rapid response by the Council only six primary schools remain seriously affected and alternative arrangements for those pupils have been put in place to ensure continuing education. Information on school closures and alternative arrangements can be obtained through our website www.eastriding.gov.uk or by telephoning our Floodline 01482 393399. In addition there will be regular updates as usual on Radio Humberside especially during the Andy Comfort Breakfast Show.

Sandbags

Over 100,000 sandbags were distributed during the crisis and further stocks are available for any worsening of conditions. Residents are asked not to try to return sandbags to depots but retain them at least for the time being. Residents with contaminated sandbags should telephone the Floodline 01482 393399

Child Care

Parents needing help with child-care facilities this week should ring the East Riding Families Information Service on 01482 396469

Floodline

A Floodline, 01482 393399, has been active from the very first hours and will remain in operation for as long as is necessary.

Information leaflets

Thousands of leaflets advising people on health protection have been distributed to residents. Leaflets containing advice on how to clean up after a flood, dealing with insurance claims and obtaining crisis loans are available at Customer Service Centres.

Impacts on Businesses

A large number of businesses have been affected by the flooding. Any business wishing to seek advice should contact one of our business advice centres via 01482 391614. In the meantime the Council’s team of qualified business advisers will be visiting affected businesses. The business advisers will also be able to provide guidance on access to the Yorkshire Forward relief fund.

General information

Detailed and up to date information has been available on the Council’s website, www.eastriding.gov.uk , with very regular updates and advice from the Council and other agencies broadcast on Radio Humberside 95.9 FM and continuously on 1485 AM. In addition a hotline through to the control room at County Hall has been made available for those Parish Councils most seriously affected.

In the highly unusual and extreme weather conditions, which have been experienced, it has not always been possible to respond to everyone’s requests for help immediately. Our resources have been very stretched and inevitably they have had to be used in those areas of greatest risk to safeguard people and protect property from flooding. Nevertheless we are trying to work with all communities to ensure an early return to near normality whilst recognising that a large number of residents may be unable to return to their homes for many months due to the extensive repairs required.

Please stay tuned to Radio Humberside on either 95.9 FM or AM 1485 where information on flooding and how to clean up is being broadcast, visit our website www.eastriding.gov.uk or telephone our Floodline 393399 for further information.

Andrew Milner

Assistant Chief Executive (Communications)

01482391900

andrew.milner@eastriding.gov.uk