To advertise ring 01227 768181 - 2 April 26, 2001 41 W ‘m ‘ 42 April 26, 2001 LIVING With The Floods is ourcomprehensive account of this winter’s horrendous flooding. With waters finally subsiding we have recorded six amazing months in this 16—page supplement. We recall how homes and businesses across the district havecoped since torrential rain first hit back in Octoben Conditions worsened, reaching a peak in , February, which saw the worst flooding for half a century. Our photographers and reporters have been out and about, taking pictures and meeting the victims during the ordeal. Here is the result of their work — a month—by— month account of our wettest winter. Compiled by Amanda Wills Contents October Pages 42-43 Mnunrnhnr nrww.kentonline.co.uk IAubrey Harris and daughter Nancyat Gorrell Tank, itstable 2/5524El November Pages 44-45 ‘ December Pages 46-47 The affected area Page; 48-49 January Pages 50-51 February Pages 52-54 March t % i Page 55 "My Story Page 56 :< . , CTOBER marked‘ the start of this winter’s flooding nightmare, and Whitstable was the first town to suffer. Torrential rain, coupled with high tides, caused chaos in the seaside town. Homes were flooded, roads were closed and businesses were washed out. 5 On one day alone Whitstable had 33mm of rain — almost half the average rainfall for the whole month. Many will remember the Gorrell Tank car park being restored to its xxx I A young cyclist shows ‘his amphibious talent in Gorrell ank original reservoir state as drains backed up and the tide raced in. Cars were stuck as water reached tl doors and at one point people were even swimming in the ‘car park. People living in a new development of homes in Birkdale Close, Chestfield, weretrapped in their houses after the road disappeared under water. Canterbury and Herne, Bay escaped the worst of those floods, for although some of Herne Bay’s main roads were closed only a handful of homes were affected. But by the end of the month the To advertise ring 01227 768181 V _ April 26,2001 5% I A field at Littlebourne resembles a lake aftef the fleodirig kg_o766gw21-3-o1,jpg I 1* 1 I — QT Goi Y TI-IE beginning of March the waters were subsiding, although the flooding problems were still far from over. Homes in Littlebourne were flooded with sewage after emergency pumps repeatedly broke down and many homeowners and businesses along the Nailbourne Valley and beside the Little Stour were still pumping out and mopping up as river levels refused to fall. ‘Seven parish councils, whose areas mm were victims of floods, joined forces to produce a joint plan of action. Each promised to produce an action V V _ ‘plan for its area, reporting on river ‘ - and culvert blockages as well as silt _ _ and obstructions. A party of county councillors toured stricken areas including . A Littlebourne, the Nailbourne Valle Barham, Bishopsbourne, and Wickhambreaux. They also looked at the sea defences at Whitstable and new housing at Chestfield before reporting back to the county council’s scrutiny Fleadlngs taken at ‘I-lerne Bay Source: Canterbury City Council committee. The councillors admitted being shocked at what they had seen. Meanwhile, Barham villagers were consulted about a temporary bridge that could be built over the ford — and angry residents were able to demand answers from flood action officials during a public meeting at one of the blackspots: Chestfield. People have been warned that problems could last until the summer, but by theend of March it looked as though the end of the ordeals could at last be in sight. Graphic Ashley Austen I Bishopsbourrie parish council chairman Malcolm Mitchell talks over the problems with MP Julian Brazier t ‘ ‘k99766gw21-3-91.jpg . . isi 25/ 6972/ E/0 1 To advertisegring 01227 768 81 A ‘\‘ \.\‘\..‘l . W 1%.: ’* . ,..\ \‘ \ ‘,3 . \‘W\\\« A M» H 4. *W\\§‘ $\\V‘>*?\\\‘v v\ 9\ \j‘\\\w\\\\ ‘ ‘ \y\\ \A\\\‘ |J\¢:\\\< V ‘ W \‘\\\\%\ \ - ’ \. ‘ w an ' K ...\.v‘ \\ \H‘‘ . \\.\W\ \‘W 1;‘ _;. u\\m\\x\ W \{->\ \\ u\\ \ \\\;>.“\1\\\ m\\\\u. ‘ w\\ \\\w _~ ‘ H\.:.....__ ' x..“..\.~w»«w+mw«mxDamm\\»\;\v A vv . ,\. .x»»\q§:'§“%\.W\\ ‘ \~\ - \ “‘ ‘\\‘.\\‘\M N \ W ‘ \\;¢ ‘\x \x\ v.\W*\‘\ I A Whitstable Ilfeboatman enjoys a dip at Gorrell Tank, Whitstable \\V‘u\M\“\\ “W \\\‘\\\?‘E\\‘.\\\“\\\§\>‘\\> M _ \\\‘;;§§",\‘\‘C<\ w\w\J“ ’ 1\\\\Y\\ wm \\\“\“\\\\\\ \\ g\Q\“.\W\ M «‘\\,\-..,\- Picture Barry Duffield flooding was beginning to impact on Canterbury. Gusts of wind up to gale force 10, which wreaked havoc across the region, were followed by yet more rain. Flooding victims included residents of Cherry Garden Road, who were left with raw sewage surging through their gardens as heavy rains left drains in the city unable to cope. The coast road between Whitstable and Faversham was also under water and once againychestfield and parts of Herne Bay were affected. ‘ Little did We know this was a dress rehearsal; the worst was yet to come. I A student living in Salisbury Road, Canterbury tries to clear the’ drains , .7. , . éz . _..... W . Q ../ / W 1.. x .2, /, 9, _,§W,,,;,; 4% /./, ,,,, J} r._ ,/ y 44 April 26, 2001 WW . \ H“ ‘”\‘§\\“"‘\\ Q V‘ X‘ \\\\“\\\& "‘ ‘ v. \ , \\\\:‘§\*W\\ mu “V M, “ \\ '14 . _,,,,.. -. I The Nailbourne flows through South Barham Road, Barham kg1363aw17-11-00.jpg ing { 13A/58585/oo I The river Sfotir at"C'l'1arl;:'ha$m'Greén-, _\}vhic'h saw Eornse of the worst early flood 1 1A/5787E/O0 4 HE'first week in November brought with it another ' deluge, which saw Canterbury on red it alert as the River Stour threatened to engulf parts of the city‘. The already-swollen river burst its 'M ‘banks in the worst flooding for 15 years. c . The _Army was on standby to help _— , evacuate stranded residents and homes and businesses were i barricaded with walls ofrsandbags, But perhaps the worst affected were a the villagesalong t.hecRiver Stour —. I Littlebourne, Chartham; Sturry and Fordwich. - — . The reservoir upriverat Aldington, near Ashford, had over—topped, leaving them vulnerable. In Fordwich firemen commandeered‘ a boat to rescue a mother and son and their six dogs from their flooded home. Hundreds of sandbags were sent out to those at risk and the Lord Mayor, Jenny Sarnper, went on a Walk—about ' j to see for herself the worst affected areas. I Later that month, Environment Agency ghief Binny Buckley joined — MP Julian Brazier on a flood fact- finding mission in Whitstablo, Sturry and Thanington. In Stodmarsh, wildlife, such as water voles, snakes, weasels ant! shrews, was under threat at tho waterlogged national nature reserve. Within a week there were new victims as another river began to flow with a vengeance. Because of the relentless rain, tho Nailbourne, which, according to legend flows only once every seven yearsgwas making up— for lost tlmu. Known locally as the Rivers of Wms, the Nailbourne usually flows in . ,on1y January and February ~ and only after a very wet winter. True to its name, it brought grin!‘ In villagers living close to the banks. Barham and Bishepsbourne were among the worst hit. In Bishopsbourne, villagers spent. un afternoon standing i‘n»chest-high water clearing a fallen tree from tlw river to save their homes from ‘ I flooding. And locals began to dread the it thought of spending their Christnum under siege and under water. $333‘ “ W N.‘ "?§N:<:4z¥%\‘?‘ ‘ f“\‘«§§§\‘§\\‘&\‘\‘ ‘ \ \\u-Mm \ -W‘ . :\\\V¢\W W _ 5 \“«~:\\\,\,w\‘ ‘ “V‘\\}‘:‘\“\‘\§_‘§:‘\“\\‘\\,l' J . HE'first week in November brought with it another ' deluge, which saw Canterbury on red alert as the River Stour threatened_ to engulf parts of the oity;. The already-swollen river burst its banks in the worst flooding for_15‘ years. ~- ‘ ' The Army was on standby to help evacuate stranded residents and- . homes and businesses were b'arricaded Withjwalls of sandbags._ But perhaps the worst affected were the villages along t.h;eRiver Stour —' Littlebourne, Chartha.In,o Sturry and . Fordwich. . » .. _ I The reserVoi_r.upriver'-"at Aldington, near Ashford, had over-topped, leaving -them vulnerable-. ' V In Fordwich firemen commandeered” a boat to rescue a mother and "son and their six dogs from their flooded home. ' i Hundreds of sandbags were sent out to t]:1'ose at risk and the Lord Mayor, Jenny Samper, went on a Walk-about ’ r tosee for herself the worst affected areas. . . Later that month, Environment Agency ghief Binny Buckley joined ' - MP Julian Brazier ona flood fact- finding mission in Whitstable, Sturry and Thanington. In Stodmarsh, _wildlife, such as Water voles, snakes, vveasels and shrews, was under threat at the waterlogged national nature reserve. Within a Week there were new victims _as another river began to flow with a vengeance. , Beca_use,of the relentless rain, the T Nai1b_0_1irne, which, according to legend flows only once every seven V years, was makinghup for lost time. _ ' Known locally asthe Rivers of Woe," the Nailbourne usually flows in" _- . only ‘January and February — and only after avery wet ‘winter. , True to its_ name, it brought grief to ' villagers living close -to the banks. Barham and Bishopsbourne were among the worst hit. ' In Bishopsbourne, /villagers spent an afternoon standing inchest-high _ water clearing a fallen treefrom the river to save their homes from flooding. L And locals began to dread the thought of spending their Christmas under siege‘ and under Water. " ill lfl=tichardWJohncocki'surverys argrim scene in Clnterbury ‘ \ 1 Y DECEMBEP._ the ' danger of flooding _ "had _subsided in the main urban areas, 2 - - - -but people living. - - along the Nailbourne had n-o end to I -their nightmare in sight. By this time the river was running faster and heavier than at any time I in living memory and they had been coping with flooded roads, gardens _ and houses on a daily basis. Pumps at Bishopsbourne and Bekesbourne were running 24 hours aday to cope with the water and upriver a_t Sibton Park, Lyminge, the.‘ I cricket club’s clubhouse was waist-_ deep in floods. . _ _ _ l The cricket pitch was under 7ft ‘of water at its deepest point. Some four acres of la-nd were flooded with -an estimated 1,650,000 gallons of water weighing 73,000 tons. ' " Later in the month the Little Stour ' to celebr'a'te --c_on'1e what may. 0 M burst'iiit's..'.b:aifik's. at Litt1jeb"our'ne," fleejdin-"g homes, and s'there"'i2vere - reports of -"a "‘sa'ndbag war”'in the _ " village as unscrupulous residents pinched the precious '7 age from their In neighbours‘. Once again the Army_volun_t-eered..to . step in and soldiers fron-1_36-Royal Engineers, ‘based -at Maidstone, - surveyed the area along the, - Nailbourne and Little Stour._Roya1 Mail swapped vans, for four-wheel . drive vehicles to enable post to be_ deliveredto the worst hit areas. Malcolm Mitchell, '-chairman of . Bishopsbourne._par_i'-sh council,‘ ._ - summed up_-a.‘- I-otof people ’S feelings when hesaid: ff.-?You’ve -heard the ' expression ‘come; Hell or High . Water’ '- well_'we.?ve "got them both. this week,”_'_-_'._-’_‘...-___:-_ _ . I __ . -He and fellow. Villagers had been ' talking ab'o11t"_.c‘a'ncelling Ch'ristmas. But aweek "later they were vowing“, " 2-'3t"§:—'-1» m: I Kevin Sherman, ofkelsey Farms,‘ helps out in Wic-khamhreauX 0. g, ‘5 -»£€'—:"' " ta“ w "1-:4 “M F.'t*”;w “ W Ljwuyyi. I trixoume M I 14A/6524/E/0 ' I The Nailbourhe at Kingston, near the Black Robin pub, caused chaos for drivers 9A/65245 I Jan Debont at his ‘sandbaggéd Wickhambreaux home I Drivers negotiate Stone Street at Stelling Minnis 6a/5858lE/O0 I Alan Bradleyjnspects the .woIIen river at Chartham .’1a/5858lE/O0 and a Vhitstabie feboatman spent nost of the day escuing cars 3a/5524/E/O0 I Alan Bradleyjnspects the swollen river at Chartham 21a/5858/E/00 and a Whitstable lifeboatman spent most of the day rescuing cars 13a/5524/E/O0 Ji|l!W / hit ta ke_s 7 V egg?‘-field j P éntyisraak HI “ TABLE ailbourne ra rough Batham kgL177-'-Tlnl o9-02-o1 Lookin wt toward Canterbry tthe flood Great Stu kg17bh 811 :. . ~- -.1 , er a -a. -5' -. J. at . r .~ -r »r. », - V . . T9 adV_ertise*ri-ng?01227 768181 A'p’ri1’26, 2001 51.. " I A car is semi-submerged in Aldridge Close, Greenhill - ‘ ‘ '. ; v ! ,:v 57656'Ol:E/Q1 I For the first time in memory the Petham Nailbourne flowsx through nearrKenfie|d o:vesrf|avi?IingV’Vi}1toVt’IV'Ie fields ‘ 41:, ‘) 52 April 26, 2001 sL:==1=1:U].L:\ a i 5 - _ W..‘.._.‘,,........ s 5 ‘ ‘ W_\\wwv\\\\\i\\\\\\\\ -‘ ; * 1 (N , \ Iw“ mu - \ V‘ M M -\m\\\»\\ \' x. A \\y\-M... W IA gallant resident in Greenhill helps out as ‘flash floods hit Heme Bay ‘ 14/6939/E/o1 I Jill White, iandlady of the Black R0 ti bin, Kingston kg1772nl O9-02-01.jpg 0 ONE could quite believe that more rain could fall, but fall it did — and the misery continued. Once again a month’s rainfall fell in . 24 hours and left large parts of the district submerged. February’s flooding blackspots included the beleaguered Nailbourne Valley, Sturry and Fordwich. The River Stour became a raging torrent again after the heavy rainfall . and tidal swell doubled its size, although most of the city escaped unscathed. . However the same could not be said for Herne Bay and Whitstable. Whitstable suffered some of the worst flooding it had seen since the 1950s. . The torrential rain made it almost impossible to reach parts of the town and at times areas of Chestfield were cut off. For villagers I Robert Spencer and mother Anne stand in a cattle field at Garringi N it was the ninth flood in 14 months. The Bends between Whitstable and Herne Bay became a lake — the cold brown water bonnet—high in places. Herne Bay woke to scenes of utter devastation. With the Plenty Brook bursting its banks, elderly and disabled people were trapped in their homes at Cherry Gardens and had to be carried to safety by firemen, who later comandeered a dingy to bring them to dry land. A minibus with schoolchildren on board had to be towed away after it became marooned in floods at Hampton Pier Avenue, and the Memorial Park lake almost doubled in size. They were the worst floods the town had experienced in decades. Greenhill suffered its worst floods ever, said residents. Government Minister Elliot Morley toured the district, promising more money for the worst hit areas. : LU.:.V :\' I The swollen River Stour at Grove Ferry 14A/6524/5/O1 Bridge over troubled Watersfor ' 1 New Year;brought 3 “some relief for flood- weary homeowners — in Bishopsbourne at ' least. The village won‘ its battle to get a temporary bridge built over Rose Lane so a way in and out of the village was guaranteed even when water levels were rising. Elsewhere, the Petham Nailbourne was flowing for the first time in 64 years and a package of work was promisedto alleviate flood problems in Chestfield. i — The city council was in the news 4 for admitting there were faults in its handling of the problem. Although officers said they had done their best in difficult circumstances _ they were criticised for not acting a quickly enough, and not liaising with other authorities, such as the Environment Agencyand Southern Water. By January, the cost of the flooding across the district was expected to top £200,000, and 30,000 sandbags V ) had been issued to areas at risk. \ During the month the council ' decided to set up a special scrutiny panel to investigate flood-related \_ _ issues. Key roles were to ensure ' organisations worked together, hold investigations into specific flooding problems and review the council*’\s policies, strategies, emergency plan and operational procedures to ‘ consider what changes were needed. ing along Stone Street proved treacherous kg0514gw8-2- Ofipg I Driv A 1 3. u viii \\ . \\\ ‘i\\\\\\ ‘W ‘ \\ .\\\n ‘\\\\\‘W'\‘\:\ \‘ \\\\.\\\~‘x\\ri\i\\x\inw\...\... v > . . . . . , \-\i ‘ \, I Warrant Officer Henry Thomas bails out a cottage at The Green, L ttlebourne kg1764n'I09-02-01.jpg I Our reporter Dianne Stingemore interviews a resident of Spenser Road 26A/6954/5 W. V 3.‘. % I 2% I The lfldocliing takes holdin St P V“ 9;» 3})‘ _ eter’s Lane, Canterbury 35/6973/E/D1 I Cherry Gardens, Herne Bay 17'/6952/E/O1 ‘jjo Weather forecasts have become compulsory viewing or listening for the countless victims of the floods, who hear them with bated breath, praying for a dry spell. For months they have watched helplessly as their homes and businesses have disappeared under feet of water. It has been a frustrating, and in some cases heart- breaking time. One personwho can vouch for this is Malcolm Mitchell, a former Kent Messenger Group editor and current chairman of Bishopsbourne parish 1 council. Here he describeswhat it is like living with the floods. T CAME like a thief in the night, stealing our complete Way of life. And the A nightmare has been with us ever since. Insidious is the word. It rained, mud poured off the fields, filling the village drainage system. It rained again; moremud; and again, and more mud. By the time the real rain arrived in November, the water had nowhere to go. The drains were full, the sewers chock—a—block. The earth itself was filled to overflowing. Suddenly, what was a puddle or two in the garden became an 18-inch A deep lake and then a river; pouring over the patio, down one side of our 500—year—old cottage, round the front ‘ and joining another stream rushing down the main village street. Panic is setting in. Judith says we need sandbags. We ring the city council flooding hotline only to hear it only deals with coastal flooding. Yes, but what about sandbags? No, we don’t do sandbags as a matter of course, .but we can tell you where to buy them, or you use pillow cases or even your wife’s tights! it was the first (but not the last) time _ I lost my temper with officialdom A over the five months of the flooding. I slammed down the phone; there was nothing I could say that was not a swear word. Sandbags did appear — 50 of them for the whole village! More phone calls, more imprecations, more sandbags were delivered. Funny (peculiar, not ha-ha) how sandbags mostly appeared only after dark, delivered to a flooded village by men without wellingtons. Water was threatening us on three sides. Saturday night, sandbags and floodboards deployed we sat back to watch afilm. Not for long. Suddenly The last thing we had.expected. , Suddenly, we were back in action. The carpet was peeled back. Pallets ‘ acquired to make compost heaps , S were rushed in, furniture piled on top.,,Like,rulers on thrones we continued to watch the film. a Next day the fire brigade came, pumped and departed having decided they could achieve nothing. “There are millions of gallons out there trying to get through your house,” said one man cheerfully. We installed our own pumps — in the sitting room, in the dining room, in . the kitchen and on the patio (to keep water away from .the kitchen door). ‘ 2 ith four inches of water sloshing about in the sitting room we decided to move upstairs, Where we have remained ever since. We are likely to be there well into the summer. There was so much water in The Street that those of uswith smaller’ "cars could neither get in nor out unless We had managedto get a car out before the water rose. Those who did faced having to Wade through a foot of water to reach their vehicles. ’ F Pumps were brought in to keep sewer levels down and prevent sewage backing up into homes and gardens. Another pump did much to reduce water levels at the Frog Lane end of the village. Christmas came and went; not much to cheer about, althoughfortunately the Mermaid pub remained open throughout, despite suffering its own flooding. It was somewhere to gather and swap horror stories. We wondered what we ever talked about before the floods came. After much arguing, the council agreed to put in a temporary bridge at the bottom of Rose Lane to ensure us at least one entrance and mzif AQ Jannswv tiirnnfl tn Wohw-11cn-v did more than just put us back to square one. It sunk us deeper than ever into the water._ The Nailbourne (Elham Valley’s Waters of Woe) burst its banks, sending a torrent down the main street, blocking both ends of the Village, despite the bridge, despite the pumps. e were isolated again, with mothers having to carry their children and shopping across muddy fields to get in and out of the village. Small cars (and some big ones) were unable‘ to get in or out for more than 11 days. More houses than before flooded. We suddenly had eight inches of water in the sitting room, long bare of furniture, with varying depths through the rest of the ground floor, - including, the hub of our universe, a the kitchen. 3-.$'s:am-:n..-- I the MitcheI|’s garden . It looked as though we would have to abandon the house. With a flock’ of chickens, a cat and a dog we decided to tough it out. ' The stress has been enormous. - Nerves have become frayed as biceps swell with the constant moving of - sandbags and "ditch digging, day after day, week after week. Then there were the minor irritations; the" television broke down, the computer, then the central heating. Still, our friends haverallied around, offering us accommodation and respite in the form of meals and shoulders to cry on. Now it is April. The weather is (hopefully) drier. The trees and shrubs are coming into leaf, which will lead to a more rapid evaporation and drying out process." Meanwhile our garden has more V trenches and snndhngs than the First World War Somme battle. Indoors, we are drying out with dehumidifiers in every room. It has, in turn, brought fresh misery. Skirting boards have been ripped out as" have shelves. Panelling in the hall that took us a week to erect has been been junked. In the kitchen plaster will have to be cut out and replaced to the height of four feet and our tailor-made fitted kitchen cupboards and drawers have gone. We watch weather forecasts with trepidation; swearing when rain is. mentioned and cheering when sun or even cloud are promised. ' If we c_1on’t get a heatwavesummer '' there is every chance that we-will find ourselves back to square one come November. Until then we can only hope that the nightmare of the _ last five months or so really is a 60- year event and that it won’t happen again for anotherA60. "Some hope!