10th June 2021
| New Number Launched to Report Flooding in Norfolk |
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A new single point of contact for flooding in Norfolk has been launched, allowing residents to report any sort of flooding quickly and efficiently. In the event of flooding residents can call 0344 800 8013 to report it. Alternatively, residents can continue to report flooding online via www.norfolk.gov.uk/flooding The new number gives residents a single point of contact and allows reports to be made swiftly. Different agencies respond to different types of flooding, which has historically made reporting a flood by telephone more complicated when and where it is not possible to ascertain the source of floodwaters. The new number provides a single point of contact making the reporting of flooding quicker and easier. Where there is a potential risk to life from flooding people should still call 999 immediately. Lord Richard Dannatt, Chair of the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance (NSFA), said: “When flooding hits, people have to make quick decisions on how to react. For those who want to alert others and report a flood, the process of finding the right agency could be slow and frustrating, wasting valuable time. This new initiative makes reporting a flood faster and easier, allowing residents to get on with protecting their families and property. “The introduction of this number is the result of the work of the NSFA over the past few months, and is the first step in the Alliance’s programme of work to address the risks of flooding in Norfolk and will make dealing with flooding in our county simpler and easier for the people of Norfolk.” A leaflet detailing the new number, including a pop-out-and-keep card, is being delivered to households across Norfolk this week to ensure everyone knows how to report flooding in the county. The new number has been set up by the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance, a partnership of agencies across Norfolk working to provide a consistent and coordinated response to flooding in the county, while also making communities and infrastructure are safer and more resilient. The number is staffed by Norfolk County Council officers and funded by the County Council. Cllr Andrew Proctor, Leader of Norfolk County Council, the county’s Lead Flooding Authority, said: “Last winter saw heavy rainfall and flooding across our county. People affected were trying to report flooding and get some help with some residents using phone numbers 15 years old or more. That can’t happen again. In an emergency we need to be able to know where people need help and make it easier for them to report incidences of flooding. By introducing this new number and sharing it far and wide, including to every home in Norfolk, we’re making sure everyone knows how to make a report quickly and easily.” As part of its ongoing programme of work, he NSFA has identified sixteen sites across Norfolk that are regularly at risk of flooding. These sites will form the first tranche of locations that the NSFA will inspect with a view to proposing how to minimise or mitigate local flooding risk. The work carried out on this first tranche will inform work across Norfolk in the coming years. The sixteen sites included on the initial list are located at:
Each site will see work led by a Lead Agency – Norfolk County Council or Anglian Water, depending on the site – to develop an outline, costed solution that will form the basis of any necessary future funding bids. While flood risk at many of these sites will not prove easy or quick to resolve this work will provide the blueprint for addressing other flood sites across the county. The NSFA is finalising a Strategy and an Action Plan, to ensure the partnership working between its members continues for the longer term, providing a consistent and recognised forum for responding to flooding in the future. ENDS The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance is a new taskforce, brought together in early 2021, to work so that Norfolk communities and infrastructure are safer and more resilient to the risks of inland and coastal flooding. The Alliance includes, among others, the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, the Association of Drainage Authorities, the Water Management Alliance, Water Resources East, the Norfolk Resilience Forum, the Broads Authority and Norfolk’s County, Borough, City, District and Parish Councils. For political comment For further information please contact:
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