Measures announced to help households recover from storm Babet

Households across the UK were flooded by the storm, prompting the government to offer thousands to help restore areas in England.

Housing secretary, Michael Gove, and environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, have announced support, which is being made available through a scheme known as the Flood Recovery Framework, will become available in areas in England that have experienced exceptional flooding as a result of storm Babet, which hit the UK on 19^th October.

The extreme weather has left hundreds of people homeless while at least seven people are believed to have been killed.

Examples of some of the new government measures include:

• Flooded households in affected areas can apply for up to £500 in cash to quickly help with immediate costs
• Households and businesses significantly affected by recent flooding will be eligiable for 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least three months
• Small-to-medium sized businesses in affected areas will be eligible for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant to help them return to normal
• Eligible flood-hit property owners will be able to apply for up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding via the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme

Communities Secretary, Michael Gove MP said: ‘The support I am announcing today will give those impacted by these terrible floods a helping hand so they can get back on their feet and recover from Storm Babet.

‘I will continue to work closely with our partners across Government and councils to make sure we are doing all we can to support businesses and families who have had to face such challenging and upsetting circumstances.’

In addition, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey also commented: ‘My sympathies are with everyone who has experienced the devastating effects of flooding. I would like to thank our Environment Agency teams and first responders, with 62,000 properties already protected thanks to our flood defences.

‘Our Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme will soon be open to help residents better protect their property in the future, giving some peace of mind as they rebuild and repair.’

However, despite her efforts, Ms Coffey was criticised earlier this week during her visit to Retford as residents claimed she attended to ‘polish her halo’.

Victims said the area floods annually but never as bad as this year and that the government should have done more to protect people from the storm.

Although, the environment secretary said the storm was difficult to predict as it came from the east instead of from the Atlantic.

Image: Torsten Dederichs