On Wednesday 25th October the Isle of Wight saw some of the worst incidents of flooding in recent years.
Severe problems were experienced across the Island with particular problems in East Cowes, Ryde and Newport.
Jordan: Calling for an urgent review
Isle of Wight council leader, Phil Jordan, said,
“It is obvious to me that the response to some of these incidents was inadequate and there were failings in the response to some of the flooding experienced on the Island on Wednesday.
“These failings led to unnecessary damage and disruption. For these reasons I am calling for an urgent review of what happened on Wednesday to make sure that the risk of such problems is minimised when we next experience heavy rain, which is, unfortunately, something we know will happen.”
“This review will be in addition to any of the normal formal reviews that are triggered by such occurrences.
Bringing all agencies together
He went on to say,
“I will be bringing together all the Agencies who have a role in responding to the effects of heavy rain and flooding, including the Environment Agency, Southern Water, Island Roads and the Emergency Services to seek to ensure that when problems next arise there is a coordinated and effective response and that damage and disruption are minimised.”
Jordan: I hope we can do something to ensure that people do not suffer unnecessarily
Councillor Jordan added,
“My thoughts go out to all those who experienced problems on Wednesday and particularly to those who have suffered property damage and will be experiencing the effects of the heavy rain for days and weeks to come.
“While we can never completely prevent such damage arising in the future, I hope we can do something to ensure that people do not suffer unnecessarily going forward.”
