The tail end of January wrought havoc on many areas of my communities in Devon and Somerset, writes Rachel Gilmour MP.
January saw the 12th-highest rainfall levels on record in the South West.
The rain and high winds brought by Storm Chandra and its predecessor storms left many of my communities isolated, either through fallen trees or flooded roads.
Colleagues at Somerset Council declared a major emergency to mobilise the required resources, and my neighbouring MP in Honiton and Sidmouth saw a red danger to life warning issued for the River Otter.
Thankfully, there are no reports of death or serious injury from Storm Chandra, but that does not mean that the impact is any less distressing for the communities affected.
Nynehead, in my constituency, has five roads into and out of the village – Storm Chandra flooded four and a half of them, effectively cutting off the village.
I was watching on social media as Williton saw roads turn into rivers overnight.
I have written to both of those parish councils, offering my support in any way I can with the clean-up and structural changes which may be required to stop these situations from happening again.
I look forward to being joined by Somerset Council representatives at meetings with these councils soon.
Read More
Rachel Gilmour column: The government is directionless and out of ideas
Rachel Gilmour: The government must help pubs before it's too late
Rachel Gilmour column: Why the arts and culture sector is in difficulty
On the morning of Storm Chandra, I joined with South West colleagues in asking the Prime Minister to finally pay attention to our region.
After a decade of being overlooked by the Conservative Party, this Labour government seems not to know, or not to care, about the South West.
The Prime Minister may have other things on his mind at the moment, but he and his Cabinet should be fully engaging with the South West, to ensure that these floods – which are happening more and more frequently – are less likely to bring the sort of damage to communities like ours.
I am not asking him to stand in the way of a storm – he’s not King Canute.
But I am asking for the Prime Minister to seriously engage with these issues, to ensure that our region, and our communities, are better defended and equipped to prevent the destruction of property, and damage to lives and livelihoods, that these storms bring.
With or without the attention of the government, I know that our community always comes together in a time of crisis.
I am certain that this will be the case here and with whatever we face in the future.
Whether it is buying Devon and Somerset-made produce to support farmers with flooded fields, shopping local to keep our high streets, or frequenting local pubs and hospitality businesses to help them stay afloat in trying times, my community will come together.
Pun fully intended.
Share