The long road to recovery

Birds sang in the sunshine with only a few sand bags propped up against properties a reminder of the floods that swept through the town just two weeks ago.
Jordan Page in her home down Brewster Lane which still has wet floors from the flooding.Jordan Page in her home down Brewster Lane which still has wet floors from the flooding.
Jordan Page in her home down Brewster Lane which still has wet floors from the flooding.

Gone was the water preventing evacuated residents in Brewster Lane returning home.

Further down the lane skips piled high with furniture told a different - of a town fuelled by community spirit the like of which had not been seen since the Second World War which now faced months of rebuilding itself.

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More that one hundred and 30 homes were flooded in Wainfleet and surrounding villages along the River Steeping when it burst its banks two weeks ago.

The heartbreak facing residents like Jordan as possessions in their flooded homes have to be thrown into a skip.The heartbreak facing residents like Jordan as possessions in their flooded homes have to be thrown into a skip.
The heartbreak facing residents like Jordan as possessions in their flooded homes have to be thrown into a skip.

Some, like a resident in Brewster Lane who was gardening on Sunday, had never left. "It would take a tsunami to move me," he told the Standard, as representatives of the Environment Agency and the Red Cross spent the day knocking on doors offering support and practical advice..

However, for others it was a different story. Jordan Page had been filling a skip with contents from downstairs that she and her partner had been unable to save.

"We've been here eight and a half years but bought it 18 months ago and have been renovating it," said Jordan. "Seeing it like this has been heartbreaking.

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"The suspended floors have risen and our new bi-folding doors into the extension we are building is ruined.

What a difference a week makes! The flood water in Brewster Lane has now gone, with only the sand bags a reminder of the disaster two weeks ago.What a difference a week makes! The flood water in Brewster Lane has now gone, with only the sand bags a reminder of the disaster two weeks ago.
What a difference a week makes! The flood water in Brewster Lane has now gone, with only the sand bags a reminder of the disaster two weeks ago.

"We saw the water coming. The Environment Agency dredged the dyke a few months ago and nothing like this had every happened before.

"My daughter was crying and we just had to get out. We can't live in it like this. It is too upsetting.

"One thing that has come out of it is the community spirit has been amazing - we have met neighbours we never even knew.

"People still want answers as to why it happened though."

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As the disaster response charity Team Rubicon continues to help clear properties where residents did not have insurance, East Lindsey District Council has taken charge of the recovery stage from the emergency response team in Lincoln. Representatives of ELDC and other support agencies are now scaling down the information centre at Coronation Hall which has been running 24/7 to 8am to 8pm.

Support being offered includes a mental health nurse to support those overwhelmed by the situation and a chaplain, as well as a place to rest and have a cup of tea and some food, much of which has been donated.

Local councillor Wendy Bowkett was back at the hall after managing her first day off with family since the disaster happened. She said: "The aim now is to get people back into their homes as quickly as possible. It will be a long process though.

"The response from the emergency agencies has been amazing. The whole operation has been a very humbling experience."