Flood-hit residents invited to discussions at drop-in events
Communities affected by the devastating floods of the past few days have the chance to speak directly to local authorities and agencies at a series of drop-in sessions next week.
The events, organised by Devon County Council and the Environment Agency, with support from Teignbridge District Council, East Devon District Council, Mid Devon District Council and South West Water, will be an opportunity for residents and businesses to raise their concerns and explain the problems they encountered.
It will also give the Councils and the Environment Agency the opportunity to gather information about the flooding incidents.
Residents who attend the sessions are encouraged to bring along any photographs, video clips or notes taken during the flooding in their area. Laptops will be available to download information.
The drop-in sessions will be held at:
Feniton - Monday 3 December, 3pm-7pm at Feniton Village Hall Cullompton - Thursday 6 December, 12 noon-7pm at the Hayridge Centre Kennford - Friday 7 December, 12 noon-7pm at the Kenn Centre
Buckfastleigh will also be included once a date and venue have been confirmed.
The events follow a series of successful surgeries held in the aftermath of severe flooding in July, which mostly affected East Devon and South Hams Communities including Axminster, Modbury and Harbertonford.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Chairman of the Devon Flood Risk Management Partnership and Devon County Councillor for Highways and Transportation, said: “Our sympathies are with all those affected by these atrocious conditions. Communities have had their lives turned upside down by this recent flooding and while we are all left facing the prospect of months of disruption, we obviously hope everyone can get back to normality as soon as possible.
“With the sheer volume of rainfall in such a short space of time it’s difficult to say what could have been done to prevent such widespread flooding, but lessons can always be learned. We’re here to listen and we hope people will take the opportunity of attending these drop-in events to tell us what their concerns are, what they saw happen and what the response was. The surgeries held following the summer floods have helped us build an accurate picture of events to identify and address issues with a number of culverts and drains in East Devon and the South Hams. Positive action can be taken if we all work together on this.
“The Government has expressed its commitment to support flood victims, we have made it clear we need more support and communities can add their voice during these sessions to help us establish a case to be more resilient against any severe weather in future.”
Gordon Trapmore, the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for Devon and Cornwall, said: “We are very pleased Devon County Council has organised these sessions and look forward to working with them and meeting people from flood-hit communities to learn from their experiences and explore ways we can help them in the future.”
Further events will be organised at a future date to gather information from other areas within Devon that may have also been hit by the recent floods.
