United Kingdom: Floods - Jul 2007

IP/08/975

Brussels, 19 June 2008 - The European Commission has made available aid totalling €162.4 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help deal with the consequences of devastating floods that hit regions in England, Northern Ireland and Wales during the summer of 2007.

The UK authorities will use the grant to cover part of the cost of emergency measures such as restoring roads, water infrastructure and schools, securing dams, the cost of temporary accommodation and rescue services, or costs that local authorities incurred as they cleaned up disaster-stricken …

The British Red Cross welcomes Sir Michael Pitt's call yesterday for people in the UK to take flooding and natural hazards more seriously. The call came during a speech at the Critical National Infrastructure conference, hosted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

In particular the Red Cross supports Sir Michael Pitt's assertion that more has to be done to help the public to help themselves when flooding occurs.

IP/07/1885

Brussels, 10 December 2007. The European Commission today proposed to grant European Union Solidarity Fund aid totalling € 162.388 million to help deal with damage caused by floods in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in June and July this year. The grant will go towards reimbursing part of the cost of emergency measures such as rescue services, cleaning up after flood damage, and restoring basic infrastructure.

BRUSSELS, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain stands to receive about 160 million euros ($231.2 million) from a European Union solidarity fund to help cover the multi-billion cost of the country's flooding in June and July.

EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Huebner announced the figure on Wednesday after talks with the British minister responsible for flood relief and local government, John Healey.

"We will have in November the decision of the Commission ... I don't expect any suprises," Huebner told a news conference.

Red Cross National Floods Appeal reaches £2.8 million

The British Red Cross today, 20 August, announced the distribution criteria for monies raised by the Red Cross National Flood Appeal, and invited local authorities to apply on behalf of local charities.

Funds will be allocated on the basis of the scale and severity of the flooding suffered in a particular area. The distribution will be based on the number of homes that have been affected. Applicants will need to demonstrate how the money will benefit those most in need.

In what has been called the worst flooding in recent times, thousands of lives have been claimed, homes have been destroyed and millions have been left without access to food and water.

Bangladesh

With over half the country under water, Bangladesh is one of the worst affected countries. Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country bursting river banks and leaving over 9 million marooned in their villages. Thousands of people have been living on their rooftops for over a week with rescue teams struggling to reach them.

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.

In Brief

This Bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the situation and the information available at this time.

Despite being affected by flooding across a number of sites, Service and civilian personnel pulled together last week to ensure business continued as normal; well, as normal as it could be. Report by Tom Williams.

The floods which affected large areas of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire at the end of July didn't just affect homes and businesses, they also affected a number of MOD establishments.

LONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Britain is to seek assistance from the European Union to help cover the multi-billion dollar cost of the country's destructive flooding in June and July, the government said on Wednesday.

The minister in charge of handling the flood crisis, John Healey, said Britain would apply for assistance from the EU's Solidarity Fund, which was set up in 2002 to help member states deal with the uninsurable costs of natural disasters.

Depending on the final cost of the flood damage, Britain said it could expect to get between 62.5 million pounds ($125 million) …

Elderly and disabled people in Gloucestershire are struggling to cope as thousands of homes remain without water.

Maureen Price, 67 from Kingsholm, lives alone and uses two sticks to get around. She was growing increasingly distressed and wondering how she would cope after spending five days' struggling to secure water and food.

Maureen said: "This morning when I woke up, I felt like bursting into tears. With all that's been going on the last few days, I've not been able to sit back and relax.

Summary of the main points

- Floods have wreaked havoc across the UK, destroying homes and livelihoods, and bringing misery to hundreds of thousands of people

- The Red Cross has been working in all affected areas since the flooding began. More than a hundred of our volunteers have run rest centres, supported the emergency services, and provided emergency goods and bedding to those evacuated from their homes.

- Our work will continue as long as it is needed

- Money raised from our appeal will go to help communities in hardship.

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.

In Brief

This Bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the situation and the information available at this time.

Volunteers and staff from the British Red Cross have continued to work tirelessly over the weekend to support people affected by the floods.

Despite reports of the water receding and dryer weather being on the way, there are still those in need of assistance.

In Oxfordshire, the Red Cross has been working with social services to help people return to their homes from the Kassam Football Stadium rest centre in Oxford.

Not only has the Red Cross been providing support in the rest centre, but has now been using its Transport Service and Home from Hospital Service to help the most …

By Peter Griffiths

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Emergency workers found a man's body in a submerged field on Saturday, bringing to at least nine the death toll in Britain's worst floods for 60 years, police said.

Firefighters searching for a missing 19-year-old found the body near the historic market town of Tewkesbury, western England, where flooding has damaged thousands of homes and left many without running water.

Officials could not immediately confirm the body was that of the missing man.

The wettest summer since records began has brought two bouts of flooding …

A team of 4 logistics experts from the British Red Cross's international Emergency Response Unit (ERU), who are more used to responding to disasters in developing countries, arrived in Gloucestershire yesterday (26 July) to help local staff and volunteers manage the huge task of co-ordinating the delivery of emergency supplies to those most in need following the severe flooding throughout the county. It is the organisation's biggest domestic emergency relief operation since the Second World War.

To date, British Red Cross staff and volunteers have distributed food parcels, …

The British Red Cross is delivering food parcels to the most vulnerable people affected by the UK flooding, reminiscent of aid operations during the World Wars as the charity undergoes its largest domestic emergency relief operation since the Second World War.

Volunteers have been hard at work making up 2,000 food parcels donated by Tesco for distribution from the Red Cross' emergencies warehouse in Warmley near Bristol.

IR aid workers have teamed up with Muslims in Gloucester to distribute 5,000 litres of bottled water among vulnerable people in the county. Aid workers distributed the water to residents of a care home, 500 nurses and patients in a hospital, and to stranded people a community centre in Tredworth.

The distribution was coordinated by Sonia Louise, Councillor for Barton and Tredworth.

UK Manager of Islamic Relief Jehangir Malik said "The community has always been generous in responding to emergencies in other countries, now it is time to support flood victims in the UK.

Kate Lee, British Red Cross UK Director (Wales & Western), said: "The British Red Cross is very grateful for this donation from Tesco - there are vulnerable people that continue to have no power or access to clean water and are in need of these food parcels.

Fears of more flooding along the River Thames in Oxfordshire and Berkshire have eased today, after levels appear to have stabilised overnight.

Oxfam has every sympathy with those people who have been forced to leave their homes, have lost valued possessions, or do not have access to drinking water or electricity at the moment and are experiencing distress and hardship as a result of the floods.

The UK government and related authorities are responding to the situation, and have the capacity to cope.