News Bid to learn true extent of flooding nightmare
A meeting of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group was held on Wednesday, September 12 and 19 people attended.
The group agreed that the first aim had been achieved in pressurising the Lower Ouse Drainage Board (LOIDB) into making the deadline to submit the Medium Term Plan (MTP) grant application to the Environment Agency. This followed an official letter from the group and 30 further letters from flooded residents.
The team will now contact the LOIDB to clarify the Medium Term Plan details and determine what effect this is expected to have on Gilberdyke and the surrounding areas and to communicate to residents.
The group will now hand deliver a specific flooding questionnaire to every Gilberdyke household over the next week, in order to determine the true extent of the flooding as well as inviting residents to put forward their experiences, thoughts and suggestions.
This information will then be collated and used as evidence to support the MTP application, provide feedback to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's flood working group and determine what can be done to actually remove the water from the village during times of heavy rainfall.
The completed forms can be dropped off in boxes provided at the supermarket in Gilberdyke as well as the Post Office.
The action group is also requesting any old maps, plans or photographers showing the original dykes or water courses that residents may have and for long standing residents to come forward if they have local knowledge of these original dykes or water courses. This will enable a forward plan to be created with a view to reopening dykes and watercourses as required to solve future flooding problems.
East Riding Councillor for Howdenshire, Paul Robinson, said: "The Flood Action Group should be given credit for what they have achieved so far, working with the LOIDB and other groups and organisations to get things moving.
The tasks ahead include research and the identification of original dykes in the village that have been potted and filled or just filled in, acknowledgment of ownership, and the funding for getting these dykes reopened and/or re-potted as required." He added: "The flooding experienced during the days following June 25 this year affected much of Gilberdyke, either directly through houses, garages and gardens being flooded, or indirectly through toilets not being able to be flushed properly for a number of days and the local Primary School being closed also because the toilets could not be flushed."
Gilberdyke Flood Action Group will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, October 10 at 7.30pm in the Common Room, Scalby Lane, Gilberdyke.
Network Rail started to dig out the dyke at the side of the railway yesterday, which will allow surface water to drain out of the West side of Gulberdyke to the main dyke down to Blacktoft. Paul Robinson said: "I am led to believe this is the first time in 30 years that this dyke has been cleared."
Published on 20th September 2007 in News.
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