INTRODUCTION
Meet the local Flood Wardens
Neil Morton – Western Hamerton Road (84 Hamerton Road to 38 Hamerton Road including Willow Farm Close)
Mark Wheatley – Eastern Hamerton Road (Grange Farm 34 Hamerton Road to 2 Hamerton Road including Spires End)
John Clary – All of High Street up to and including 18 North Road
Contact information for all the above can be found in the Alconbury Weston Community Flood Plan
PREPARING FOR THE WORST
Make sure you have read the latest copy of the Alconbury Weston Community Flood Plan
Make sure that you are registered with your designated Flood Warden for the Whatsapp messaging system (if you update your phone the Flood Warden must have the new number)
If you move house, please contact the Flood Warden ahead of the move so you can be removed from the Whatsapp message system and anyone moving into your house can be added to the list as soon as possible.
Make sure you let your Flood Warden know if you are vulnerable or have anyone within your house who is deemed to be vulnerable and would need assistance vacating your property in the event of a flood.
In the Alconbury Weston Community Flood Plan, there are useful links on relating to how you can reduce the risk of flood water entering your property. Please take time to look at them, if you require any further information once you have done this, your Flood Warden will be able to assist.
Make sure you have somewhere easily accessible, the name and contact details of your insurance company and the policy information should it be required.
Make sure that you have registered with the Environment Agency (https://www.fws.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/register) for the automated flood warning call system.
There are three types of Flood Alerts that you will receive:-
Flood Alert – flooding is possible and you should be prepared
Flood Warning – flooding is expected and immediate action is required
Severe Flood Warning – severe flooding and danger to life
Full details of these different warnings can be found in the Alconbury Weston Community Flood Plan.
Start thinking about creating a contact list of people you can call on to help in the event of a flood. Very often there is a narrow window of opportunity to move furniture and possessions either out of the house or from the ground floor to the first floor. Having a group you can call on to help with this could be the difference between saving your belongings and being beaten by the rising water.
Make sure you know where your electricity and gas main supplies come into the house and how to turn them off safely.
Several flood prevention kits can be obtained to help prevent water from coming through doorways, airbricks, and the toilet system. Now is the time to consider which of these would be useful to you and how to obtain them. Further details can be found within the AWCFP.
If you are a car owner, park on Hamerton Road, High Street, or North Road. Do you have an alternative place to put your car on receiving the flood alert?
IN THE EVENT OF A FLOOD
If water levels start to rise towards your front door, make sure you turn off electricity and gas at the main supply into the house and do not use the toilet.
Strictly no walking through the flood water. This is because the manhole covers often dislodge during a flood and are difficult to see when covered with dirty flood water. These present a risk to you and your family’s safety.
Warning notices will be placed at the head of Hamerton Road and North Road during times of potential flooding. Please do not make any attempts to drive through once these signs are in place. Even small amounts of flooding on the surface of the road can turn into a large wake of water when vehicles travel along the road causing the water to push up over the verge into neighbouring properties.
If you are aware of your neighbour’s cars remaining in the flooded area after the water has reached the road level, please notify them. If there are cars that are unfamiliar to you that remain on the road, please contact your Flood Warden.
The Alconbury Sports and Social Club will be made available for those affected by flooding to use the facilities such as toilets.
To help the Environmental Agency track and monitor the extent of flooding, any photographs that are taken during the flood of water levels and impact on the property should be forwarded to your Flood Warden.
IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE FLOOD
Do not attempt to remove damaged furniture or goods from your house until you have been given the OK to do so by your insurance company.
Once you have the OK to remove any damaged items now would be a good time to make sure that you have a contact list of people who can help you with this.
The flood water will have been contaminated with sewage from the drainage system. Therefore the road and footpaths will also be contaminated when the water recedes. This contaminated debris poses a serious health risk to you, your family, and your pets.
To get additional help and information you can contact
Floodline
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
24-hour service https://www.gov.uk/help-during-flood
EMERGENCY FLOOD PLANNING
The Alconbury Brook, which runs through the village, is liable to infrequent flooding; Hamerton Road, High Street and part of North Road are most at risk.
An Emergency Flood Plan has been developed with the aim of co-ordinating activities between residents during flooding and can be accessed via the following link. AW Flood Plan (V1.8). It is recommended that villagers acquaint themselves with the contents of the plan.
The Environment Agency have depth gauges located at Hamerton and Alconbury Weston, and data from these can be accessed via the following links respectively:
Flood warning information service (for Hamerton)
Flood warning information service (for Alconbury Weston)
During and immediately after periods of extended heavy rain, these gauges can give an indication of the risk of flooding. As a rough guide, when levels at Alconbury Weston reach 2.2m, roads begin to flood. Some properties are at risk when levels reach about 3.4m on the gauge. Levels at Alconbury Weston often follow the pattern of the upstream (Hamerton) levels by an hour or two.
There is a camera overlooking the main ford in Alconbury Weston. It takes hourly shots of the ford which can be viewed online via a web site. This enables people to view river levels from outside the village, so enabling them to assess the implications for individual properties during periods of inclement weather. As the site licence allows only 10 users to view it at a time, and log in times are restricted to 5 minutes on each occasion, details of this site are distributed only to those residing in properties at most risk of flooding.
Most properties at risk were fitted with flood protection equipment a few years ago and individual owners are responsible for its upkeep. The following documents may act as a useful reference in that regard:
Details of Flood Coordinators and Wardens can be found on the first page of the plan; any questions on it should be addressed to one of them.