The Village Flood Warden is Roger de Toney. Phone contacts 01778 343263 or 07711 771540.

An Introduction to the voluntary flood warden scheme

What does a flood warden do? The best analogy I can think of is the role of an air raid warden. The air raid warden can advise you the bombers are coming, the precautions to take and where there may be a safe place to hide; they cannot stop the bombs falling!

The purposes of the flood warden are:

To help people prepare for flooding when predicted.
To help vulnerable people during and after flooding.
Not to do a King Canute!

So why does West Deeping need a flood warden?

The whole village lies within a river floodplain and, therefore, is potentially at risk. That’s the bad news. The good news being that the flood defences for the village are "to one hundred year standard" which means they are designed to protect against as small a risk as a 1% likelihood of flooding.
To put this in some perspective, during the heavy rainfall of December 2002 and January 2003 the highest flood warning code for the village was flood watch, which is the lowest of the three levels, at a time when about 180 warnings were issued nationwide. No warnings affecting the Village have been issued since then.

The most important objective for the flood warden (according to the Environment Agency) is: To encourage the community to help themselves.

Here are some things you can do to help yourself in the event of a flood warning

• Have a few sand bags or floorboards to block doorways & airbricks.
• Make up a flood kit (Torch, blankets, waterproof clothing, Wellingtons, portable radio, first aid kit, key personal documents) - Keep upstairs if possible.
• Discuss possible flooding with your family & neighbours.
• Make sure you know where to turn off your gas & electricity. (Do so before the water reaches them).
• Consider how you are going to ensure the safety of your pets.
• Think about medication, you will still need to take it.
• Store valuables, sentimental or personal belongings upstairs or in a high place downstairs.

Remember in the event of a flood the emergency services are concerned with saving life not property. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to move any valuable property to a place where the floodwater is unlikely to damage it.

A few things we can do to help ourselves as a community.

• Have a data bank of people who would require priority attention from the emergency services. This would include those who may experience difficulty getting upstairs or getting to a place where they could go upstairs and people who require regular medical attention.
• Have data on those people who have access to four wheel drive vehicles or tractors and are prepared to offer them to support the emergency services.

If anyone wishes to provide me with this sort of information I will retain it for the use of the emergency services in the event of a flood.

• Offer help to neighbours who we know will need support in the event of a flood.
• Keep any eye open for obstructions in watercourses, so that these can be reported to the Environment Agency and removed. Note: removal of fallen trees is the responsibility of the relevant landowner and the Agency will charge for carrying out this task.

Our village is well protected and there is no need for alarm but flood defences can be breached and freak storms can occur, so it is always sensible to be aware of what to do in an emergency.

More information about flood risk

Flood maps are available on the Environment Agency Web Site at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodline and these show the risk of flooding after taking into account existing flood defences. This is very useful information for anyone having difficulty with house insurance.

Useful booklets published by The Environment Agency and freely available include:
"Flooding: be prepared a guide for older people"
"Managing Flood Risk in Parishes".

If you wish to check for yourself on the current status of flood warnings you can do so by visiting the Environment Agency Web site (address above) or calling the Floodline 0845 988 1188

The Environment Agency Flood Warning Codes
FLOOD WATCH	Flooding Possible Be aware. Be prepared. Watch out	SEVERE FLOOD WARNING	Severe flooding is expected. There is imminent danger to life and property. Act now.
FLOOD WARNING	Flooding is expected effecting homes, businesses and main roads. Act now.	ALL CLEAR	An all clear message is issued when flood watches or flood warnings are no longer in force