Flood victims find community spirit again for life in lockdown

Builders had asked whether it should be removed from the flood battered walls when they came to repaint the outside.

This was never going to happen. Too many treasured memories were lost on June 13 last year when the River Steeping burst its banks, forcing 580 homes in and around Wainfleet to be evacuated.

Among the couples who faced the heartbreak of seeing their home flooded were Jean and Kevin Hart, who were still living in a caravan until a few weeks ago and, because of lockdown, have still not been able to move back in completely.

"When they asked me about removing the rose I said 'no' - it's a Texas rose that my sister gave me years ago," said Jean, pointing to another red rose bush that had survived the devastation of the floods and was blooming again in the garden. "We lost so much in the floods and that rose bush means so much to me."

The last time we caught up with Jean and Kevin they were facing Christmas in a caravan but were hoping the renovations taking place in their home would be finished by April.

Inside, the new kitchen, living area and downstairs bathroom were taking shape, although outside doors and and windows were boarded up. We chatted about the day when Jean would be able to welcome me in through the new front door.

Then came the Covid-19 pandemic and everything came to a halt - it was something that the .resilient community of Wainfleet, who came together in crisis but were still fighting to recover, could never have seen coming.

It is almost a year since the equivalent of about two months' rain fell over three days, forcing 1,000 people out of their homes - about half the population - and flooding nearly 130 properties in the town.

Families were forced to flee to take refuge with friends and in hotels and care homes, with volunteers filling sandbags to prevent further homes flooding and emergency services helping residents retrieve precious belongings, including pets.

The Coronation Hall became a hub for the rescue operation, as the RAF dropped 270 tonnes of ballast to fill the gap in the river bank.

June 13, 2020 was to be the day residents came together again for Wainfleet Day - not as a celebration because there are still families waiting to get back into their homes, but to again spend time as a community, relaxing and having fun. Now that will have to wait.

"We had hoped to be back in our home by now," said Jean. "But we are nearly there and hope to see the builders back in a couple of weeks.

"The worse thing about lockdown is my brother was coming over from Australia to celebrate his 50th birthday but that won't be happening now.

"But we hope to be back in by the anniversary on June 13 and will be taking a bottle of champagne into our field with the half a dozen people we are allowed and we will be marking it there.

"We know we are very lucky and we will have a lovely home."

Among those still waiting to return to their home are Derek and June Driver, who with their dog were moved to a care home in Skegness after being evacuated.

The couple, who are in their 70s and did not have insurance because they said they are in a flood plain, were the first to be hit when a wave of water came over the fields.

The railway house they had renovated when they first moved in was completely flooded and at the time they told us they dreaded going back.

When the flood waters went away, the Rotary Club donated a caravan to be placed in their garden. But at Christmas, little had been done inside and they had been told by East Lindsey District Council that the property was in too dangerous a state to move back into.

Since then, little by little as Derek and June could afford it, builders have been able to make some headway, with plaster board now on the walls replacing the wood panelling that had rotted from the flood water.

"We are looking at kitchens but there still a lot to do," said Derek. "Lockdown hasn't made a lot different to us because we don't have any family.

"It's just us but we are happy here. There are a lot worse off than us."

Although Wainfleet Day has been postponed because of Covid-19, Coun Wendy Bowkett said they hoped people would mark the day in some way.

"It's a strange feeling because we will never forget about the floods but a real shame we can't come together on the day," she said.

"Having to deal with a pandemic was not what Wainfleet needed on top of recovering from the flood.

"There are still two families who are not back in the homes and another house, although it wasn't flooded, has developed cracks.

"But Wainfleet people are resilient and we quickly found our community spirit again.

"I have 14 volunteers who have been shopping for vulnerable people and a fund to buy food has been set up for people who have been furloughed but have to wait for their money to come through.

"We are just looking after people."