GRCC supporting flood-hit communities
Heavy rain hit Gloucestershire last week, and in some places the water levels still haven’t gone down. GRCC has been helping communities in the county with flood prevention and emergency planning since the well documented flood of 2007, when Village & Community Agents provided statutory services with vital intelligence and support for the most vulnerable in the county.
GRCC’s Helen Richards supports, trains, recruits and manages voluntary Flood Wardens across Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds, and this week is launching a community Flood Wardens scheme in Stroud District. If you’re interested in becoming a voluntary Flood Warden in the Stroud area, do get in touch with GRCC on 01452 528491.
“Our work is all about being more prepared for a changing climate, helping people take ownership of the flood problem, feeling listened to, and tapping into local knowledge,” said Helen. “As well as reporting flooding incidents when they happen, Flood Wardens also report problems such as damage that could lead to floods if they’re not dealt with. I help to make sure that everyone knows who to contact.”
Helen is also involved in helping communities to set up emergency plans for their areas – what to do before the statutory authorities and emergency services arrive, and how to help those agencies deal with the emergency and the aftermath. She has just started to extend this work from the existing areas of Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds into a new project for community emergency planning in the Forest of Dean.
Helen has been at GRCC working on water and flooding for over 11 years, so is something of a local expert! Her number one piece of advice for residents is to go to https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/ to check for local flood warnings, and sign up for automatic flood alerts for your area.
Helen Richards, GRCC Community Flood Resilience & Environment Lead