Residents get their say on flood plans
Mar 16 2009 by Brian Daniel, The Journal
PEOPLE living in a Northumberland market town devastated by flooding have had their say on a revised action plan.
Hundreds of people were forced from their homes when flooding hit Morpeth on September 6 last year, damaging 1,000 properties and scores of businesses.
In the aftermath, Castle Morpeth Borough Council commissioned independent flood consultants JBA to prepare a report on the incident and the subsequent recovery.
The final version, which was made public last week, includes more than 30 recommendations for improvement.
These have been incorporated into a revised flood plan for the borough, drafted by Morpeth Flood Group (MFG) – a partnership which includes Castle Morpeth Borough Council, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, the Environment Agency, Northumbria Police and Northumberland County Council.
That plan was issued to the public and partners for consultation last week and was debated at a public scrutiny meeting in Morpeth on Thursday night.
Around 35 members of the public attended, including representatives of Morpeth Flood Action Group.
A panel consisted of delegates from the police, fire and rescue service, the environment agency and the two councils.
Residents at the meeting called for a siren to be set up to alert people living in flood prone areas to future incidents, and regular rehearsals of action to be taken when the siren sounds. Those living in high risk areas called for written guidance on where they should go when the siren sounds. Residents asked for clarification of the lead body responsible for managing a future flood incident, and were told it would be police. Members of the public requested that those ‘in charge’ should be easily identifiable, and that those working on the ground should be better informed about how the incident is progressing.
Residents were told an evacuation boat will be available in Morpeth in six weeks. They agreed that representatives would be willing to be trained to assist in evacuation and act as route chaperones, and requested evacuation rehearsal exercises which include members of the public. It was agreed that sandbags had been ineffective in September and that in future incidents they should not be issued to householders, and only used to protect evacuation routes and main roads for access.
After the meeting, Paul Johnston, director of customer services at the borough council, said: “These comments from the local community will be considered by the Morpeth Flood Group and will make a significant contribution to the final plan and hopefully to the safety and resilience of the flood area in any future flood incident.”
