City of York Council say they're ready to help people affected by flooding
River levels in the city are set to peak on Wednesday, the authority say they've got teams on standy to assist in a Covid-secure way
City of York Council say they've got front line teams on standby to support residents and businesses as river levels are set to peak on Wednesday.
The council is working with the Environment Agency and will use the latest advice to identify peak levels and will communicate any potential impacts separately.
Letters are being sent to residents living in homes and properties which might be directly affected by high river levels, which provides advice and support as well as the measures being put in place.
The council is working closely with the York and North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which includes police and fire services as well as North Yorkshire County Council, Met Office and Environment Agency.
Councillor Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change, at City of York Council said:
“This year has been incredibly challenging, particularly with storms on consecutive weekends back in January and February and following this the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to affect all our lives. To hear that river levels are rising will be really difficult for many and we want to reassure residents that we’re doing everything we can to provide support and advice.
“We have deployed front line teams and have flood defences in place to help protect the city this winter.
“We are as confident that the levels expected by the Environment Agency will not be what we experienced earlier this year.
“Residents in at-risk areas will be sent letters this week to keep them informed that all measures are in place and expected to hold.
“I’d like to give a huge thank you to our teams and our partners for their commitment and dedication to the city.
“Thank you also to residents for their patience and understanding, and for pulling together to support each other and our teams during their work.”
Defences are being deployed at Clementhorpe,Tower Street and Peckitt Street.
Rowntree Park will remain closed on Tuesday.
Advice and support:
When there's flooding in York, the council will provide assistance, practical support and information as soon as it's safe and appropriate to do so – all in a COVID secure way.
Sandbags: If your home/property is at immediate risk of flooding – then you don’t need to contact us. We’ll provide sandbags to communities based on the latest forecasted levels.
Rest Centres: We have teams on standby to help provide and support should you need this. Rest centres have been redesigned to ensure they are managed in a COVID-safe environment.
Social care support: If you know of someone who may be in need of social care and support contact our Adult Social Care Team, email: adult.socialsupport@york.gov.uk or telephone: 01904 555111 (or textphone: 07534 437804, for sensory impaired callers), between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Emotional support: The Major Incident Response Team have trained volunteers on hand to provide emotional support to those affected by incidents such as flooding. The team are here to help and you can contact them on mirt@york.gov.uk