Thanks to everyone who helped during recent flooding
03 October 2024
Organisations involved in responding to the recent flooding across Northamptonshire are thanking everyone who stepped in to help.
The county saw three times the average monthly rainfall - the highest September rainfall since records began with almost 15cm of rain compared with an average of around 6cm. Most of this fell between Saturday 21 and Thursday 26 September.
As a result, residential and business properties were flooded, as were some schools and several caravan parks including Billing Aquadrome and Cogenhoe Mill Holiday Park and Yarwell Mill Caravan Park.
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Representatives from Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service, the Environment Agency and West and North Northamptonshire councils talk about the joint response to recent flooding in the county.“Flooding has a devastating impact on those affected – we encourage property owners and businesses to sign up for the free flood warning service which will alert them to take action.Ben Thornely, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for the Environment Agency
“Visit the Gov.uk website and search ‘flood’ where communities can also find out how to become more resilient, what to do before, during and after a flood and view the current Flood Warnings and river levels.”
Following evacuation from some of these properties voluntary organisations, particularly British Red Cross, 4x4 Response, Re:ACT and Rapid Response Team, stepped in to support.
“The volunteers have been amazing, helping us staff a reception centre for those who were displaced and making sure everyone was well looked after.Cllr Adam Brown, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council
“I would also like to thank our amazing staff and partners who worked around the clock to ensure support was available for our communities when they needed it most.”
“We saw an incredible amount of rainfall hit our county in a very short space of time which had a significant impact on some of our communities.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
“The incredible response from volunteers, staff and partners to help deal with situation was amazing and I’d like to thank everyone who helped.”
Organisations from across the Northamptonshire Local Resilience Forum (LRF) came together to deal with the issues. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service led the initial approach, with support from West and North Northamptonshire Councils, Northamptonshire Police, the Environment Agency and the Met Office, Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board, the East Midlands Ambulance Service, and Meadow Bay Villages which owns Billing Aquadrome.
The fire service, along with Northamptonshire Search and Rescue, helped get more than 70 people across the county to safety during the worst of the weather.
“Last week was an incredibly busy one for us as a Fire Service, but we worked closely with partner agencies to make sure we had sufficient resources in place to deal with a large number of flood related incidents.Area Commander Mick Berry, Head of Response for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue
“I want to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of our firefighters, fire staff and control room, as well as volunteer colleagues at Northants Search and Rescue, for their response so far.
“We would encourage members of the public to stay safe and continue to follow safety advice on social media.”
“The last week has shown again how well we work together in responding to this type of flooding, and I want to thank those people who have followed all the advice that’s been shared.Northamptonshire Police Chief Superintendent Chris Hillery
“I would also like to thank the people who have been part of the response, including Northamptonshire Search and Rescue who have helped to keep people safe in such difficult circumstances.”
Residents across Northamptonshire are urged to sign up for flood alerts. Further useful information is also available through West Northamptonshire Council’s flooding and flood risk management pages as well as on North Northamptonshire Council’s website.
Further useful advice is also available on the Government website for those seeking to prepare for possible flooding, and for landowners who have watercourses running through their property.
Volunteer contributions are always invaluable during a crisis and links to more details about how to help can be found below: