Storm Babet briefing from Suffolk County Council

An update following Storm Babet We are writing to update you on how the Environment Agency (EA) and Suffolk County Council (SCC) are working together to support recovery in your community following the flooding by Storm Babet. We know the devastating impact flooding can have, which is why our top priorities are to help communities and further protect people and property. Suffolk County Council have previously contacted all homeowners who reported they were flooded by the storm. This update is providing additional information on what happened, the actions that have been taken since and next steps for your community. It also provides links to where you can find further information. The process for investigations and subsequent actions has been published on the Suffolk County Council website.

What are the next steps? The Environment Agency and Suffolk County Council are working closely to undertake Flood Investigations. The report will establish the causes of flooding and make recommendations for future improvements to managing and responding to flooding in Needham Market. The lead authority in these investigations in Needham Market is the Environment Agency and we continue to work closely with Suffolk County Council who will publish the final report. Prior to recent flooding the EA have been working on a flood risk project in Needham Market to install property flood resilience measures, such as waterproof flood doors and air brick covers to individual properties at risk from the River Gipping and Lion Barn Drain. Recent information received will help inform next steps for the project, including potential to increase the offer of Property Flood Resilience measures to additional properties that have been flooded. We will also be undertaking a thorough validation of our flood warning service, including reviewing the flood warning and alert target areas and the thresholds which trigger them. We are investigating potential improvements to telemetry and data collection with a view to improving the accuracy and timing of information provided by our flood warning service. If you have any photos, videos and accounts of the flooding can you please fill in the short survey available here: https://forms.office.com/e/WPfN1DAv8a If you have already reported this to the EA or SCC, you do not need to complete this form. Property Flood Resilience Grant Suffolk County Council is preparing the PFR grant application process to comply with government requirements and intends to launch in early 2024. All properties that have been reported to the Council, via the Highways Reporting Tool, will receive a direct communication when the scheme is launched. In summary, eligible property owners (both domestic and commercial) can apply for up to £5,000 (including VAT) to help make their property more resilient to future flooding. Up to £500 of the grant can be used to contribute towards survey costs. Property owners will be responsible for sourcing their owner surveyor and grants of up to £5,000 incl. VAT (including survey costs) will be paid retrospectively to the property owner once the Council receives proof of the completed installation and invoicing for the approved measures. Further information into the grant eligibility and conditions can be found on the Suffolk County Council website here: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/about/flood-recovery-information-for-suffolk Important numbers and contacts Floodline - to find latest information or report flooding Telephone: 0345 988 1188 / Textphone: 0345 602 6340 Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Incident Hotline - to report blockages or areas of concern and flooding Telephone: 0800 80 70 60 If you have any questions please contact: [email protected]