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SALFORD FLOOD ALERT DISGRACE
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Star date: 22nd August 2016 NO FLOOD DEFENCES, NO FLOOD REPORT, NO-ONE CAME NEAR As the Environment Agency issued a flood alert for Salford this morning, residents in Lower Broughton panicked, moving furniture and goods into higher places. Even though the flood didn't happen, the situation showed that since Boxing Day almost nothing has changed in the area. "I think it's wrong that there's been no actual work done to protect the residents" said Mike Duddy of the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust. Meanwhile the report into the last flood still hasn't been published. Full details here...
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This morning, just as most houses were drying out after the Boxing Day Flood and getting back to some kind of normality, Spike Island in Lower Broughton was awash with panic as the Environment Agency (EA) issued a new flood alert for Salford. The alert explained that the River Irwell would reach its highest level mid morning and, as news filtered through to residents, some nervously watched the River rise, while others moved furniture and goods onto tables or upstairs, taking no chances after the Christmas deluge. Fortunately, the flood didn't happen, the Littleton Road flood basin wasn't opened and the River level eventually began to drop. However, almost eight months on from Boxing Day, it was quite clear that, had there been another severe flood almost the same situation would have occurred... "Not a soul has been round, nobody's telling us anything, or reassuring us...just nothing. Again" said 75 year old Madge Kelly, who lost almost all her downstairs belongings on Boxing Day and was left outside for hours in waist-high water by police (see here). Despite Salix Homes claiming £5,000 from the Government to make each of their homes flood resilient, Madge still hasn't had a flood door fitted, nor any other major measures. And, despite being classed as vulnerable and not on the Environment Agency text alert, she had to rely on her daughter to let her know what was going on. Had the River Irwell hit the heights of Boxing Day, there were no new flood defences in Lower Broughton to help stem the tide. "Even though there's been lots of talk and lots of meetings I think it's wrong that there's been no actual work done to protect the residents" says Mike Duddy of the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust "They know where the weak points in the system are but no extra measures have been taken to protect the people in that area who have suffered from flooding so recently." Meanwhile, the official report on the Boxing Day Flood has still not been published by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Eight months on from Boxing Day, it appears that virtually nothing has changed...
See previous Salford Star articles... *Lower Broughton Flood Report Delayed Again Until Autumn – click here *Almost £7,000 Flood Benefit Money Still Not Paid To Residents Eight Months After the Flood – click here *Lower Broughton Flood Victims Win Key 103 Happy Street Party – click here
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Julie wrote
at 13:18:43 on 01 September 2016 |
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| We are registered with the flood agency yet we did not receive a flood alert text and yes I understand that this was just an alert, however as Alan above so eloquently puts it that sinking feeling was back. We are people who love our city and have lived and worked here all our lives so when I read comments from the "get a grip brigade" my blood boils. YOU DIDNT GO THROUGH IT! Can we all remember one thing about this fiasco, 70 years. That was when it last flooded and we all no that where there's smoke there's fire, we all no we were flooded out to save other areas, (no Kerry this was not the rain) this is pure and simple economics, flood one social housing area to save a new build area (no social housing involved) I am 48 years old I have seen it rain for weeks on end without the Irwell ever getting half as high as it did on Boxing Day, GET YOUR FINGERS OUT SALFORD COUNCIL START FIGHTING FOR YOUR LOYAL AND WONDERFUL RESIDENTS AND START CRACKING DOWN ON THE SHISTERS LIKE PEEL HOLDINGS. |
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Lr. Broughton Resident wrote
at 05:26:05 on 28 August 2016 |
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| Could someone please tell us if there is a plan in place or even in the pipeline for the evacuation of at risk of flooding properties. It was obvious there wasn't one last year. Will there be a list of vulnerable people, this information to be forwarded to the Council by all Social and Private landlords. I totally sympathise with the people who were affected by the floods. I was fortunate enough to be out of reach of the water, just. However I received a flood warning last week whilst on holiday abroad. After phoning my daughter I was very relieved when she said there was no sign of anything going on. If there is a plan in place could the citizens of Salford please be made aware of it? |
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RayofSunshine wrote
at 21:04:21 on 27 August 2016 |
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| Reg,
can I take it as read that you've been appointed as Michael ' s "Appropriate Adult"?
Wise move! |
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Reg Howard wrote
at 08:19:25 on 27 August 2016 |
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| as a member of UKIP, can I just clarify the point that UKIP never has aspired to run the country, what they did was to try to get UK out of Europe, they did just that!!! now people have pressured the party to aspire to leading the country, for sure they could do no worse than the current parties, but they must think very carefully about their manifesto ,the views of rank and file members will be listened to ,(Tories and Labour take note)austerity and cuts are used by labour to justify the mismanagement of the city finances and by the tories, to blame labour for selecting where the cuts were made, so don't blame Michael, he only expresses his opinion, his right to do so is beyond doubt, for after all, opinions are like arses, everybody has one and they are all different. |
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RayofSunshine wrote
at 09:12:24 on 26 August 2016 |
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| Michael,
can you please clarify what is the official
Ukip Policy towards austerity and cuts? Is it against Tory Cuts? Is it nip and tuck with the
Government’s War against the Public Sector?
Or isn't the case that UKIP believes that austerity hasn't happened? Apart from his position on
Europe, UKIP ' s prime gripe against Cameron was that
he didn't hit the working class hard enough!
I think you owe it to the people of Salford to make it clear what UKIP ' s position on cuts really is? |
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Michael James Felse wrote
at 16:14:07 on 23 August 2016 |
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| Salford Star is far too polite to point the blame. Allow me to point one at Salford Labour Council. This is just the start of disaster as Labour go into Civil War. Labour will damage our health further if they get to control our Health Budget. They will cut £2billion from the Greater Manchester budget by skipping to the bad Tory tune. What will your health be like in 5 years with such a massive cut. Labour is finished and I am sad they lost the plot. They are unable to stand up for our services. |
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Tahir Chakotai (Independent Housing Advocate) wrote
at 07:45:45 on 23 August 2016 |
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| Well said Salford Star :) |
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Salford Star wrote
at 18:42:00 on 22 August 2016 |
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| See Al's comment below...The article aimed to reflect what was happening in Lower Broughton this morning - that people were moving furniture and that, since Boxing Day, no new flood defences in the area have been installed and that many homes didn't have flood resilience measures. Yes it was only an alert this morning but had the river flooded the situation might have been little better than Boxing Day. Hopefully the authorities will get their act together quickly in case a flood as intense as December happens again. |
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Al wrote
at 18:33:29 on 22 August 2016 |
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| This article is pure scaremongering and it isn't helping the situation. The article itself even states that the flood gates at Kersal weren't open, because they didn't need to be open! If there was a chance of the river coming over, the gates would be open to slow down the flow of water downstream. There would also be a flood warning or a severe flood warning from the Environment Agency. Neither were in place, again I refer to this very article which states it as a flood ALERT, which is stated as a possibility. Look at flood alert history for the area. It happens regularly. Finally, the situation of Boxing Day was completely different to today. The gates at Kersal were open, there was already some pretty bad surface flooding happening before the river came over. Neither happened today. The river is designed to withstand that amount of water, there is even a mark on the Peel Park stretch where the water regularly reaches. Salford Star, please begin to report the facts of the situation as you have a great platform to ease the minds of those affected. Instead you're adding fuel to the fire. Otherwise you will lose me as a reader. |
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Debbie prince wrote
at 15:54:57 on 22 August 2016 |
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| Typical yet AGAIN we are left to deal with it alone!! |
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Alan wrote
at 15:54:50 on 22 August 2016 |
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| Just experienced one of the longest and most stressful times of my life. Awoke to see the Irwell outside my home reaching the same height as when I awoke that Boxing Day morning - but more worrying, we were now in the height of summer. That same sickly feeling in the stomach returned. For the next several hours I was back and forth to the Floodline site, the rain continuing to fall. It is no life I want to lead, all the stress of what could happen, not again. Many have only now returned to something like pre-Boxing Day, but the worry of rainfall is always there. Then that sight of the River ready to spill. There is nothing you can do but wish the rain to stop. I, as a tenant, can't do anything, but surely in the eight months passed something should be in place. We are promised flood door, but they will be no use. Water came in through the walls. John Merry and several others I contacted have told me the new builds on higher ground haven't put us, the social homes at any more of a risk. And the grid...don't tell me about the grids I see that are still blocked with water in the flooded area. It is like the authorities, for whatever reason, are relaxed about the area of Lower Broughton being flooded again. The sun is coming out now, the rain stopped and hopefully the river will recede. But if this is more of what we have to go through in the heavy rainfall months, then I cannot cope. Some neighbours are having to pay bedroom tax for their spare rooms, despite having to use them for storing things while work was carried out to repair the flood damage. Money was found to help those flooded the last time, but I can't see it again... and then what about Salix Homes, the landlords, how long will they persist with spending insurance money on flooded properties, if they can get insurance, that is? My mood is improving now... the sun is starting to shine and the rain has passed! What a way to live, eh? |
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