Devon’s largest village Patrick Farrelly MBE Ben Byrom
R CAEN BRAUNTON
1931 2012 21 recorded floods in the last 118 years 12 of which have occurred in the last 50 years. 2012 The worst since 1931 Worth noting that with the development of the village the course of the river was altered in the 19C and when flooding occurs it tries to return to its natural course.
PATHFINDER FUNDED
PATHFINDER FUNDED
PATHFINDER FUNDED
PATHFINDER FUNDED
PATHFINDER FUNDED
TRADER UPDATE – November 2015 We have concentrated on 3 areas in 2015, and we are making progress! It would be pleasing to think that by this time next year we can say ‘ JOB DONE ’. Flood Prevention As we are all too aware, the flood in 2012 resulted in 4 feet of water in Caen Street with most of the businesses being affected to a greater or lesser extent – but we now have a solution !! In the early part of 2016 the drains in Caen Street will be replaced by substantially larger ones – the preliminary work for this is going on now – and these will be attached to a large, high volume pump sited by the river. This pump will automatically trigger when the water flow reaches an ‘abnormal’ level and pump water direct from Caen Street to a point further downstream. This work is funded by Devon County Council and expected to be complete by sometime in 2016. There will be more about how and when this is all going to happen in the media, from the Parish and from us in due course. Insurance A key issue resulting from the 2012 flood has been that some businesses either can’t obtain flood insurance at ANY cost, or only with a substantial policy excess ‐ £10,000 is not unusual. We have been working with our MP – Peter Heaton ‐ Jones ‐ the British Insurance Brokers Association, the Federation of Small Business, The National Flood Forum, Salford University and others to pressure both the insurance industry and the Government to come up with a solution to this issue. We are unable to say more at the moment, but we are told confidentially that discussions are at an advanced stage to resolve this problem. We hope to be able to report soon that there IS a resolution and that flood insurance will again be available to all. The completion of the drainage work in Caen Steet should, in any case, substantially reduce the flood risk in the future. Resilience With constant pressure on Government budgets, ‘self help’ is the name of the game and it applies just as much to flooding as anything else. This year we have attached to every river bridge in Braunton a label which gives the exact location of the bridge and a telephone number to call in case anyone sees any obstruction in the river. We have a comprehensive Braunton Emergency Plan to deal with ANY type of emergency – please look at this on http://www.brauntoncommunitynews.co.uk/braunton ‐ flood ‐ guide/community ‐ emergency ‐ plan. It is vitally important that everyone is aware of who to contact when needed. Sand containers have been installed at several points in the village. Sandbag filling events have been held – it may sound easy to use a sandbag but unless they are filled / used correctly they are utterly useless! If you do not have flood gates or other preventative measures at your premises, you would be well advised to be sure you have some bags, know where sand is kept and can use bags properly! Finally, if you would like more information on anything here then please contact either of us. en Byrom – 01271 812295 – westxgarage@btconnect.com Simon Tattersall – 01237 423169 – simon@deanhead.co.uk PS Can you PLEASE make sure that Ben has your up to date email and phone contact details in case of emergency? Thanks!
Westminster DEFRA National Flood Gold Forum Devon County £5 million budget across 13 authorities Silver Devon Community Resilience EA Pathfinder Flood Coastal Risk NDDC Forum Manager 2013 2015 Martin Hutchings Devon County £488,500 Stephanie Devon 24 communities Jones Local Team Community Braunton £2,500 for (Flood Coastal Emergency Together emergency team equipment Risk Officer) Amanda + emergency plan consultant Projects Palmer + volunteer training Dom Maxwell ‐ South Street Drains + table top exercise Future Project/ Batten Jacobs Survey Funding Bronze (Devon Emergency Caen Street Pump Planning Officer) Braunton Emergency Team/ Rotary Emergency Plan Simons work independently on behalf of Braunton Paul Cobbing Federation Salford Independent Rt Hon Oliver Letwin BIBA Association BBC MP National Flood Small University and MP Min of Gov British Insurers Spotlight Forum Businesses Report Telegraph Policy Cabinet Office
It would be nice to see you in Braunton when it’s not raining!
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