Hull in print

The recent flooding in Hull was devastating in its impact. People across the city are coming to terms with what happened and are now counting the cost.
My utmost sympathy goes out to everyone affected by the flood.
It was an event unprecedented in its scale and Hull has been recognised by the Environment Agency as the area worst hit by flooding, which also devastated other parts of the country.
As a result Hull City Council has launched a relief and clean-up operation that is unprecedented in its scale. Nothing like it has ever been seen in the city before.
The service includes a Hull Flood Fund to help people most affected by the flooding. You can find more information about the fund on page four of this magazine.
As the recovery operation gets into full swing, the scale of devastation becomes more apparent. The cost of bringing flood-damaged council homes back to a liveable standard will top Ł18m. I can confirm that 90 per cent of schools in the city were affected by flooding and within just one week 650 tonnes of flood-damaged school equipment has been removed and disposed of.
But on a more positive note, one of the more heartening things to come out of the flooding was the magnificent response by Hull residents.
I have heard stories of people helping their neighbours to safety, and the spirit shown by people housed in the Hull City Hall rest centre was testimony to how people pulled together.
I would also like to pay tribute to our partners in the emergency services for their dedication and professionalism in helping people through what, for many, may have been the most traumatic week of their lives.
Finally, I am determined to get to the bottom of what happened and for this reason I have asked that an independent commission is launched.
The commission will look at exactly why Hull flooded and assess what future action we may need to take.

Cllr Carl Minns
Leader, Hull City Council


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