During the summer of 2021, Walthamstow saw flooding again hit local homes and roads. Our response to the flooding must be rooted both in tackling climate change and involving the public directly in the choices we make about how to tackle it or else this natural disaster will be a new inequality in our society. I spoke to Politics Home last week about our experiences here in Walthamstow, the IPCC report and what needs to happen next you can read the article by clicking here.
I thought it would also be useful to share with you my recent correspondence with Thames Water, Waltham Forest Council and George Eustice (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
The correspondence is below (please click on the letter you would like to read):
- Letter from Rebecca Pow MP DEFRA re: Flood Reinsurance Amendment Regulations: Changes to increase the uptake of property flood resilience 28.02.22
- Thames Water letter re: independent review 20.12.21
- Thames Water Internal Review into the 12 and 25 July 2021 storms in London
- Waltham Forest Council Letter 17.12.21
- Thames Water Independent Review Update 30.09.21
- Response from Rebecca Pow MP 20th September (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)
- Thames Water Independent Review Update September 2021
- Thames Water Investment September 2021
- Response from the Met Office 20 August 2021
- Response from Thames Water 13th August
- Thames Water Trust Fund Letter
- Response from Thames water 12th August
- Response from Waltham Forest Council 10th August
- Waltham Forest -schedule of gully cleaning
- Letter to Martin Esom 3rd August
- Letter to George Eustice MP
- Response from Thames Water
- Response from the Met Office 26th July 2021
- Sarah Bentley CEO Thames Water 12th July 2022
- Severe Weather Update from Waltham Forest Council 17th August 2022
- Letter to Thames Water CEO 19th August 2022
- Response from Thames Water CEO 25th August 2022
- Letter from Waltham Forest council 15th September 2022
On the 12th July 2022, the final report of the independent review which was carried out following last summer’s extreme storms and subsequent flooding was published and can be found on the Thames Water website: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/investing-in-our-region/london-fl...
I will continue to share any relevant updates in my newsletter, so please feel free to sign up to it if you haven’t already done so. You can sign up here. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch via email to office@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or phone on 0208 521 1223.
If you have been affected by the flooding, the local mutual aid network are currently asking people to fill in this form so that they can assess the needs of the community. The form is here: https://forms.gle/d69CxpMF1fvpnTQD8
If you are aware of any flooding issues, it’s really important to report them via the established reporting channels to ensure they get logged and actioned:
- Waltham Forest council online information and flooding reporting form: https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/content/flooding-and-drainage
- Thames Water flooding information page and reporting form: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/emergencies/flooding
- Information from the government about what to do in a flood: https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/what-to-do-in-a-flood
- Sign up to flood warnings: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
Numbers to call:
- Floodline (24 Hour Number): 0345 988 1188
- Thames Water (24 hour service) 0800 316 98000
- Waltham Forest Council’s Contact Centre (including out of hours) 020 8496 3000