Floods latest – Independent Public Inquiry ordered as York Council issues advice on selection of flood damage repairers

Calls for an independent review into the causes of, and response to, the recent flooding in parts of the City have apparently now led the York Council to agree to mount an Inquiry.

: The historical Merchant Adventures Hall was one of the victims of the flooding.

Press reports suggest that it will take a similar format to that of a Select Committee.

What will be critical will be the terms of reference of the Inquiry and the clarity of any written evidence published before witnesses are called.

In our view the Council should encourage written questions and representations using “open dialogue” socal media channels to allow all those with concerns to contribute.

The move comes at a time when the Environment Agency has confirmed that water entering the control cabin (which was supposedly watertight) on 26th December led to the decision to raise the Foss barrier.

This threat had not been identified as an issue prior to the recent floods.

It is likely that any Inquiry will want to scrutinise carefully the actions of not only the York Council, but also the Emergency Services, local MPs, the Environment Agency, power and telecoms companies, and the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC)

Inquiry members will no doubt also familarise themselves with the many reports that have been published on the flooding threat in the City over the last few years.

These include:

Flood risk assessment report received by the Economic & City Development Scrutiny Committee 25^th January 2011
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment 14^th March 2011 report to the Local Plan Working Group (their next meeting wasn’t until 3^rd Oct 2011 where minutes of the previous meeting were agreed) Minutes of the March meeting were, however, never reported to the new “Cabinet” which was elected in May of that year?
Flood Risk Assessment 6^th Sept 2011 Cabinet Report by Cllr Dave Merrett (No reference was made to the March LPWG report)
Major flooding occurred in Sept 2012 web site, 3^rd October fall out, A fresh report was commissioned but it did not appear for 2 years. Improvement works in the Leeman Road area had been commissioned.
The Flood Risk Management Strategy report was presented to the “Cabinet” in Sept 2014. Consultation on the plan started on 7^th Nov 2014 web site
The Flood Risk Management Strategy was finally agreed by the Cabinet in March 2015 Download

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Floods update: York Flood Appeal target raised to £500,000 as calls for Inquiry grow

Appeal now seeking £500,000

The York Flood Appeal has doubled the target amount that it hopes to raise. The Appeal Committee hasn’t yet made it clear whether this total includes the promised matched funding from central government.

Click here to donate

Meanwhile the Council is being urged to coordinate the use of surplus materials and clothes, donated by residents to help flood victims, but which was subsequently not required.

While some may be donated to other charities, the value of any items sold should be donated to the official appeal fund.

Meanwhile there have been calls for an inquiry into the flooding. Concerns continue to be raised about the timing and justification for the decision to raise the Foss Barrier and the subsequent effect that this had on east York.

The fate of the flood report, considered by the York Council’s Cabinet on 9th September 2014, is also likely to be a matter of consideration over the next few days.

Confused messages about York Disaster Fund on Council web site.

York Floods: Statement needed to reassure residents

The York Council would be right to take a few weeks to pull together a report on the recent flooding issues in the City.

It should not take the two years that the post 2012 floods report took to compile.

click to donate

But there is an urgent need to reassure residents about precisely what went wrong with the Foss barrier last weekend.

At the time the authorities claimed that the barrier was raised (prompting a 2 foot increase in the level of the Foss and the flooding of the Huntington Road area and telephone exchange) because there were fears that water would damage the lifting equipment or the power supply.

In the cold light of day this seems an unlikely explanation, not least because the system had reserve generators which could be brought on line or, failing that, a manual lifting system.

We know that water from the Ouse was approaching the Foss from the Tower Street area (but it never actually over-topped the barriers).

So the issue presumably was an unprecedented run off into the Foss catchment area?

Tang Hall beck certainly did experience record levels.

Could the Foss barrier pumps not cope?
Were they all working to maximum capacity?
Why was the pumping station evacuated? (a new bridge to it was later provided by Army engineers)

The questions need to be answered quickly and publicly by the Environment Agency.

It isn’t a question of apportioning blame.

It is a matter of reassuring hundreds of residents and business owners that the cause of the problem is understood and, should another similar event occur this winter, that contingency plans have been upgraded.

After all we are now in a vulnerable position.

The ground is saturated guaranteeing that any rainfall will run off quickly into ditches and rivers..

Many previous floods have been caused by a combination of melting snow and localised rainfall.

Add in the already wet ground and the conditions for a “perfect storm” may already exist.

Local MPs and the Environment Agency must reassure residents without delay

York floods – been here before

Following the 2012 floods the York Council asked for a report on increasing flooding resilience in the City.

Two years later it was presented to the then ruling Cabinet.

It identified, on page 19, the need for a £2 million upgrade to the Foss barrier.

York Flood report Sept 2014. click to access

York Floods latest update: Confusion over which businesses are open. Merchant Adventurers Hall appeals for help

Organisations representing the commercial sector in York have been asked to coordinate and publicise a list of businesses that are currently closed because of the flooding.

Merchant Adventures Hall

They are being asked to use social media to produce a real time list, indicating likely reopening dates, contact details and a list of clean up materials (if any) required by the business.

While the vast majority of businesses in the City are operating as normal, others face a difficult few days as the flood waters recede. It is an important trading period for many visitor attractions, restaurants, pubs and shops.

Merchant Adventurers Hall appeal

The Hall has suffered serious flooding following failure of the Foss Barrier on Boxing Day. Fortunately they had sufficient notice to enable them to remove valuables from the Undercroft prior to the water coming in.

The record level experienced in 1982 was exceeded by a couple of inches!

The waters around the Hall have now receded but there remains around a foot of water in the Undercroft and that will require pumping out. The clean up in the kitchens, cloakrooms and reception area can now begin. They have some power issues because of the uncertain state of the Emergency Lighting Battery Inverter Unit which was submerged.

If anyone has an hour or two to spare over the next couple of days and is prepared to risk becoming very dirty than we would be grateful for help (please ring 01904 654818 first ). If anyone has a pump, of what ever capacity, that they could lend to the Hall for a couple of days that would be most useful.

Separately the Council has been asked to confirm that the arrangements set up in 2002 to provide a flood relief fund continue to apply.

While some spontaneous appeals have appeared on “just giving” and “go fund me“, proper audit arrangements need to be put in place to ensure funds get quickly to victims with the greatest need.

How to help

At the moment an assessment is being made of the types of help and materials that are needed. Until this has been completed, residents are being asked not add to the huge mountain of materials that has already been collected.

The Council issued the following update at 10:30am

“The River Ouse levels are at 4.6.m asl today. Main flood defences have held. River levels will fall slowly but we are expecting further rain for Wednesday so the advice is to be #floodaware.

Four of the eight pumps on the Foss Barrier are working and river levels are dropping. As a consequence roads are clearing, as they do we are looking to direct road sweepers to them throughout this morning to ensure road safety.

The Castlegate sewage pumping station is being repaired at around 10am today and the inner ring road which has just been opened, heading towards Skeldergate bridge may be temporarily closed sometime today as new pumps are delivered.

For the latest traffic and travel information please visit: www.itravelyork.info/journey-planning/roadworks-and-road-closures

Communication channels are restored and the council’s customer contact centre is running as normal These details have been shared with residents via social media and traditional media and the number to call is 01904 551550 the email address is flood@york.gov.uk.

Archbishop Holgate School continues to be operational as a rest centre but all residents who were using the centre have been placed into emergency housing (15-20 families).

The situation is improving but there is still a lot of work to be done and all agencies continue to work hard to get the city moving and working as normally as can be expected. Around 650 homes and businesses have been directly affected by flooding in the city centre.

Both Household Waste and Recycling Centres are now open/operational.

Flood safety

Please avoid entering flood waters as there may be hidden dangers like sharp objects, raised manhole covers and pollution.

Road closures and travel information

For the latest on road closures and travel information during the floods please visit the iTravel website which will be updated regularly”.

Flooding: Health and clean up advice for victims

Useful information for anyone cleaning up after being flooded

Click to download

York floods latest – river levels falling

The river level gauges are beginning to come back on line.

They confirm that river levels in the City are now falling

Ouse at Poppleton/Skelton 1000 hours 28th Dec 2015

Floods latest – water levels stable, some roads reopen, bus service details

The River Ouse has stabilised at 5.2m although there is potential for a rise in river levels towards the end of the week. The river gauges on the Ouse are still not reporting although those on Blue Beck and Tang Hall Beck show water levels falling.

A dedicated floods twitter news-feed has been established https://twitter.com/YorkFloods

BT are hoping to bring power back to York telephone exchange during the morning
Rescue workers take a break at the Foxwood Community Centre
The Army flying in kit with helicopter to help get Foss Barrier working again this week
There have been over 80 people who have had electricity cut off
115 people used the rest centre at Archbishop Holgate School. Volunteers opened the Foxwood Community Centre yesterday evening to feed incoming rescue workers.
The rescue operation knocked on doors of over 600 properties
No further evacuations are planned
The Council is looking to get another 10,000 more sandbags.
Some roads have reopened
Bus services

These are the current services

Floods update: Message from York Police

York, Cawood and Selby are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of flooding, with rivers expected to peak during the evening and early hours of tomorrow morning.

North Yorkshire Police are requesting that visitors to the area, or those wanting to view the floods, do not visit York or Selby district at this time and delay their visit until flood risk has passed.

DCC Tim Madgwick, Gold Commander said:

“We would advise people not to visit the affected areas of York and Selby at this time of high risk. Many major routes into York and Selby are currently flooded and travel in and around these areas is very challenging.”

“Routes that are open and passable are critical to emergency services to access to those who need support. We would ask people who do not need to travel to York , Selby and Selby district to delay their visit until the flood risk has passed.”

“The risk is being constantly monitored through a multi-agency approach. As flood waters are currently rising, we expected a clearer picture of maximum levels tomorrow, when they peak.”

“To residents and business owners – if you are contacted by emergency or support agencies and asked to evacuate your property, we realise the inconvenience and disruption, but please be assured that all risks will have been assessed and the decision to evacuate will have been made with your safety and best interest in mind.”

The latest flood warning information can be access here https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/map

You can also follow @EnvAgencyYNE and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest updates. Or call Floodline on 0345 9881188.

Keep up to date with the weather forecast and weather warnings at www.metoffice.gov.uk or tune in to your local BBC radio station.

Floods latest – great response to Foxwood Community Centre floods appeal

Thanks to those who generously responded to the appeal for clothes, bedding etc by the Foxwood Residents Association.

Flood aid being collected at Foxwood Community Centre

7 car loads now on their way to the coordinating centre at Archbishop Holgates school (which is open to receive those evacuated from their homes).

Next up for Foxwood may be a challenge to feed 52 flood workers arriving from the south at 9:00pm.

More as it become clear at https://www.facebook.com/foxwood.residentsassociation.14

Flooded York. Levels now officially higher than 2012

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