Ways You Can Help in Times of Flooding*

We may not have had any snow, and it’s only been super cold one week so far this winter but rain and storms, I think we’ve had a years worth over the last couple of months. I live in a coastal town at the mouth of a river and with each heavy rain fall there is that fear that the river banks just aren’t going to take it anymore. Although I live on a hill, my parents live right at the river mouth so I’m guessing they’ll be hit first, and hard. It’s really tragic that we’re now living in a country where flooding is becoming a major concern. Thankfully solicitors like Simpson Millar are around if the worst happens. This morning I woke up to more rain and news that some areas were now flooded, this however wasn’t due to being in low lying floodlands, but simply because the drains couldn’t take the sheer volume of rain that was falling. I feel like we’re lucky that it’s taken until now for flooding to become a problem.

Over Christmas when Cumbria and Yorkshire were hit bad by the floods, my heart especially went out to families that were affected. As a mother, anything of this sort pulls and my heart string. The idea of gifts ruined, of homes ruined, of Christmas being ruined for little children my daughter’s age really brought home just how lucky I’ve been to be living in an area where flooding isn’t a huge issue. The sheer amount of damage that the storms this winter have caused is just mind boggling. Flood Watch 2015 can give you a good idea of the cost, the area and even tragically, the lives lost during the last few months, as well as full details of the storms we’ve endured.

There are some ways you can help those affected by the floods;

Donate Goods
This can be anything from simple things like clothes and items, to those big things that people have lost during the flood like sofas, beds, washing machines, and other bits of home furnishings and white goods. I know a lot of people sell now a days but you could be helping someone out in need by donating. When I showed LM photos of children in our country in the flood water she wanted to donate some toys, which I know would be just as appreciated. Volunteer in Cumbria have set up a Facebook group that has a form to fill in to offer up donations.

Volunteer Your Time & Skills
If you live in or near an area affected you can offer up your time to help the clear up job and if you’re a skilled labour man you can even offer to help rebuild. Both of these are equally as important as the other. You can use the link to the Facebook group above to offer your skills or your time.

Make a Cash Donation
Finally, if you don’t live near enough to donate time or items, you can make a cash donation to the Flood Appeal set p by the Cumbria Foundation. It gives you multiple ways to donate including simply sending a text to 70070 with the message ‘FLUD15’ and an amount. For example, ‘FLUD15 £10’. Every penny donated goes towards building new lives for those affected by the flooding.

I have so far made two donations, one when the storms first happened and a second on Christmas day, after being completely heartbroken at the news. I thank my lucky stars every day that I was able to give my daughter a dream Christmas and I wanted to help those who could not. The most damage we endured was a broken gate when storm Desmond hit.