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Flood victim to tell summit 'what it's really like'

Paul Moseley
BBC political reporter, Norfolk
PA Media A river of floodwater swamping a rural road. In the foreground, a red and white triangular warning sign says "Flood". In the distance, someone wearing rubber boots is wading through the water.PA Media
It is hoped the summit will lead to better measures to stop floods

A councillor whose home was badly flooded said she hoped her personal experience would help a flooding conference understand "what it's really like".

Alison Thomas's house in Long Stratton, Norfolk, was deluged on Christmas Eve 2020 after 2in (50mm) of rain led to flash flooding.

Mrs Thomas is due to speak at a summit in Norwich, where attendees will include Anglian Water, the Environment Agency, the county council and MPs.

The organisers said they hoped the conference would lead to better flood mitigation and prevention.

It aims to build on the work of the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance, formed after the 2020 floods, which saw parts of south Norfolk get a month's rain in just 24 hours.

Alison Thomas We can see a Christmas tree in a living room where the floor is flooded by several inches of waterAlison Thomas
The ground floor of Mrs Thomas's home was completely flooded

"It was a bit surreal, when you realise that you haven't got control over what's happening," said Mrs Thomas, a Conservative county councillor, as she described the flooding at her home.

Along with her daughter, she had been battling to stop the water getting to the front door by "throwing buckets of water over the wall as fast as we could".

It was only when she went inside that she realised their efforts had been in vain.

"It got in through the entire house. We were battling outside thinking we were keeping the water out.

"Then I came in, took my wellies off and realised my socks were wet. It was up to the first rung of the stairs."

Alison Thomas is standing in her front garden and next to a driveway. Behind her we can see a single carriageway road. She's smiling and wearing glasses and a multi-coloured long-sleeve top.
Alison Thomas, next to the driveway where she battled to stop water entering her home

The North Norfolk Liberal Democrat MP, Steff Aquarone, also due to speak at the conference, said flooding was "devastating" for communities.

"We need to continue to push for more, longer term funding as well as better joined up working between agencies," he said.

"I hope that the summit is a chance for everyone to get on the same page and make the call loudly and clearly to government, to insurers, and to all those involved in flooding and water management."

The government has said it is working to improve flood defences and last year launched its Flood Resilience Taskforce.

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