Storm Ciara brought devastating flooding across Calderdale on Sunday 9 February.
Heavy and persistent rain led to widespread flooding, causing several road and building closures and flooding to homes and businesses.
Local residents, flood wardens and teams from Calderdale Council and other organisations showed their amazing community spirit, braving the bad weather and working around the clock to help those affected.
River levels have now fallen, surface water has receded and the majority of roads have reopened, but the clean up continues and the full scale of the damage is still being assessed. Many roads across Calderdale are still very muddy, so please take extra care when driving.
Additional teams are still out helping with the clean up, and they were out before the flooding as part of the preparations (which included checking and clearing drains, culverts and trash screens in flood-prone areas).
Community hubs are open across Calderdale, offering cleaning equipment, general help and emotional support. The hub locations are as follows:
Brighouse – Civic Hall
Elland – Calder House, Southgate
Hebden Bridge – Town Hall
Mytholmroyd – Library
Sowerby Bridge – Library and Christ Church
Todmorden – Town Hall
Stocks of clean up equipment are limited, so if anyone has any spare supplies that they can donate, please take them to your nearest community hub.
If you are helping with the clean up, remember that flood water is dirty and may be contaminated with sewage, so please take care and read the advice from Public Health England(external link).
There is also lots of information and advice on the Eye on Calderdale(external link) website, including Eight important steps for coping after a flood(external link).
To help with the clean up, the Council has temporarily suspended charging for bulky waste collection in all flood-affected areas. For information on arranging a collection and other options, visit Eye on Calderdale(external link).
Cllr Tim Swift, Calderdale Council’s Leader, said:
“We want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who has pulled together to help each other during and after the floods. There have been so many stories of community spirit – from home care staff battling the weather to reach people, to residents providing food and support to each other.
“Unfortunately, extreme weather and flooding are very real and devastating examples of climate change. That’s why we continue to do all we can, working with other organisations and the community, to tackle the climate emergency and increase flood protection and resilience.
“Although the Council and dozens of other organisations and communities are doing a massive amount of work, there’s only so much we can do to limit damage during floods of this scale, and we always urge people to stay prepared to protect themselves and their property.”
For details of steps to take to prepare for flooding, please visit www.eyeoncalderdale.com(external link)
Feeling tired, anxious and having difficulty sleeping is normal after you have been flooded. Contact friends and family for support as it can take a long time for life to get back to normal. If you think you might need further emotional support or counselling, here are some services that can help:
- Your GP
- Calderdale Talking Therapies (Insight Health Care) is a self-referral service offering psychological support for adults registered with a Calderdale GP. Call 0300 5550191 or visit calderdale@insighthealthcare.org
- Healthy Minds(external link) – a Calderdale mental health charity providing support.
- Samaritans(external link) offer a free, confidential service, 24 hours a day, on 116 123
Local businesses needing support can email the Council’s business team at business@calderdale.gov.uk
More information will follow, and Cabinet will be responding at its meeting at Halifax Town Hall tonight, but please keep up to date by following the Council @Calderdale on Twitter, via Calderdale Council on Facebook, and by visiting www.eyeoncalderdale.com(external link)
The Council and partner organisations are now preparing for the next possible spell of bad weather – the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice / snow from 3pm today (Monday 10 February) until 11.59pm on Tuesday 11 February. Gritters will be out across Calderdale. Winds will continue to be strong and residents are urged to take extra care, stay safe, be kind and check before they travel.