Community groups, charities and volunteers across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are being thanked for the vital role they played in supporting flood-hit communities.
New figures show that around 650 homes were flooded locally in the wake of Storm Henk earlier this month. With 70 roads closed, over 100 incidents attended by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, people evacuated and rest centres set up, it was the biggest flooding seen locally for many years.
This Saturday (27 January), a special event will be taking place bringing together voluntary organisations who assist in the response and recovery of large-scale incidents. The event will also help to build a coordinated approach to support affected communities after any future incidents.
Organisations who have supported during Storm Henk, including the British Red Cross, Leicestershire and Rutland 4×4 Response and Leicestershire Search and Rescue, will be in attendance along with other organisations who assisted during the New Year storm.
They will be thanked by Leicestershire Police Chief Constable, Rob Nixon, who chairs the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Resilience Forum, which brings together organisations to tackle emergencies.
Rob Nixon said: “I want to thank all of the agencies and volunteers that have been involved in the response to Strom Henk. The LRF play a vital role in bringing together partner agencies to work effectively in a critical incident and we could not do this without the support of all of those who have given time and effort to assist with the response.
“Of course, our thoughts are with those who were heavily impacted and may have lost property or had a traumatic experience during this time. We all work together to protect the public and I want to continue to bring partners together to learn and improve on how we respond to emergencies being as effective as we possibly can.
“We could not have responded to Storm Henk without all of the community groups, volunteers and charities that came to help and it is greatly appreciated.”
Since New Year, councils, emergency services, charities and other organisations worked round-the-clock to evacuate residents, find them temporary accommodation, set up rest centres, clear standing water, close flooded roads and much more, safeguarding lives and supporting residents to stay safe.
Last week council leaders from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland wrote a joint letter to the Flooding Minister, Robbie Moore MP, asking for the Government to do more for those affected, including more help to businesses without flooding insurance.
Residents and businesses impacted by Storm Henk will be able to apply for recovery funding via their district council.
Find out more: www.llrprepared.org.uk.
