Flood advice

How can you help stop flooding affecting Todmorden?

It can sound like issues such as flooding affecting Todmorden is the responsibility of government bodies such as Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, The Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water.

It may feel that there is nothing you can do to change this, but there are simple little changes that we can do, both as individuals and as a community, which could help ease the impact that flooding has on residents, businesses and the community as a whole.

Where possible, avoid using any extra water during times when flood alerts and warnings are issued. This can include avoidance of:

  • Having a bath or long shower
  • Running a dishwasher or washing machine
  • Doing the washing up by hand
  • Flushing the toilet if it can be left for a short time

This is because the less water being used, the less that will empty into the sewers, which can help prevent drains backing up and causing water overspill into roads and houses.

Look into what sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) can be retrofitted to your property. This can be as cheap and simple as having a water butt put into your garden or as elaborate as having a green roof installed. There are lots of different ways that SUDS can be used and this doesn’t have to be overly complicated. The general idea is that by slowing the flow of rain down to the drains, it helps give the infrastructure (such as drains, sewers, roads, canals and rivers) time to not be overwhelmed by excess water. There are lots of ideas and case studies to be found online.

A good place to start is:

 

Advice for travelling during a flood:

  • Only drive during a flood if absolutely necessary. Driving through even small amounts of flood water can push waves into peoples properties on the side of the road.
  • Don’t wade through flood water. Drain covers are often lifted to allow free-flowing water without being blocked by leaves. These can be a hazard when walking through water as you cannot see where they are, or if they are open, even in relatively shallow water. This can also be a potential health hazard due to polluted water.
  • Take care not to drive through flooded areas, if you cannot gauge how deep the water is, you should not drive through it. Just 6 inches of fast flowing water can sweep a 4×4 off the road. If driving through a flooded area is absolutely unavoidable, you should do so with caution.

 

For general flood advice:

These are both not-for-profit organisations which are run by people with lived flood experience. The big question remains, however – will doing any of this stop Todmorden flooding? Unfortunately, no, it won’t. What it will do, however, is help lessen the effect on the community and hopefully make the clean up after easier.

Other useful links include:

Action on Invasive Species

Solutions to Reduce the Impact of Flooding in UK Properties

 MDA Flood Resilience Consultants

Sign Up for Flood Warnings

 Natural Flood Management Evening 1 November 2021

Eye on Calderdale

Record Recent Flooding – Eye on Calderdale

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