Help at hand in case of floods

Flooding in Saddleworth. Coverhill Rd Grotton.

A HELPLINE is on standby to support people across Greater Manchester at risk of flooding.

The National Flood Forum's helpline is prepared a year on from floods that deluged communities across the north of England, including Saddleworth. The flooding last Boxing Day led to calls to the charity's helpline more than doubling compared to the year before.

In Saddleworth, the River Tame burst its banks after more than two inches of rain fell in just a few hours, flooding homes and businesses, closing roads and leading to the collapse of drystone walls.

The helpline provides practical and emotional support to anyone affected by flooding and calls to the service spike in the immediate aftermath of a flood event.

From December to January 2015-16 as Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank caused widespread flooding, the helpline took hundreds of calls from people who were most commonly concerned about insurance difficulties ­- including having no insurance, the process of reinstating a home and financial support to help people recover.

The National Flood Forum also offers face-to-face support once the emergency services have left and for the many months afterwards. In the aftermath of Storm Desmond a team of staff from the charity undertook a 16-day tour of 20 flood-hit locations across Cumbria, in partnership with other agencies, and gave advice to more than a thousand people with flooding concerns.

The process of recovering from a flood can take anything from six months to two years and beyond. Many of those who were affected last year are only just returning to their homes in readiness for this Christmas.

Paul Cobbing, from the National Flood Forum, said: "The impact of flooding is often reported in terms of financial cost ­- how much the insurance industry has paid out, loss to business and the local economy, the bill for repairing infrastructure?but what about the human cost and impact on people?

"Recovering from a flood turns people's lives upside down.

"Everything that was once normal is changed.

"That's why we exist as a charity ­- to offer our support and expertise with everything from insurance battles, to managing the painstaking rebuild of a home and very commonly the emotional burn out and stresses that people face."

The National Flood Forum helpline is open in office hours, Monday to Friday and can be contacted on 01299 403055 or email info@floodforum.org.uk.