British Red Cross responds to flooding in Boston

 British Red Cross responds to flooding in Boston

British Red Cross volunteers have responded to yet another night of heavy rain in Lincolnshire, offering emotional and practical support to households affected by flooding. A fire and emergency support service (FESS) vehicle was called out last night by the emergency services to the Eastwood Road and Wyberton Low Road areas of Boston where 32 properties were flooded.

Anita Moore, FESS coordinator for Lincolnshire, says: “Some of the people we were helping last night were being flooded for the second time in the space of a week. Naturally they were very upset and needed someone to talk to. As well as being there to talk through what they had experienced, we were also offering practical advice like how to go about claiming home insurance for the damage done to their properties.” 

The FESS crew were also distributing flood packs offering information and advice from a range of agencies on what to do before, during and after flooding. In addition to the 32 flooded homes, the crew also distributed packs to neighbouring properties. The crew was finally stood down at 4am this morning. Another crew was placed on stand-by throughout the night in case the flooding worsened.

Since the flooding began FESS vehicles have been called to 250 properties in Lincolnshire. In one 48-hour period – from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 - the vehicle responded to 49 separate incidents.

Across the affected region British Red Cross staff and volunteers have been working around the clock, responding to the needs of people affected by the flooding. In rest centres in Doncaster, Sheffield and Wakefield volunteers have offered emotional support and practical help to people evacuated from their homes. A therapeutic care service offering neck and shoulder massage has also been providing relief from the stress and pain people have experienced as a result of the evacuation.
ENDS

The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies.
We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies
in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on
with their lives.