Hull in print

If you want to meet a positive thinker – look no further than Judith Dillon.
A week before the floods she lost her husband of 45 years.
Days later the family home on Bransholme was flooded with four inches of water.
Mrs Dillon (65) also suffers from Multiple Myeloma (a cancer of cells in her bone marrow) as well as osteoarthritis and asthma.
But she refuses to let any of it get her down.
“There are a lot of people a lot worse off then me – and you’ve just got to cope and get on with things,” says the grandmother of five.
Mrs Dillon is thankful that her son managed to get many of her possessions upstairs, including the fridge and freezer, just before the water came in.
But the carpets, three-piece suite and other furniture were ruined – in the home she’s lived in for 31 years.
Her daughter and sister, who live on the same road, were also flooded.
But again – her positive outlook – and a sense of humour have carried her through.
“We only had one pair of wellies so me and my son’s partner had to share them!” she says.
“Everyone’s just trying to get back to normal now – cutting grass and cleaning windows and that sort of thing.
“There’s talk of us all being put right by this time next year – as Del Boy would say – and we’ll have a street party hopefully!”

Gold standard

Mrs Dillon is just one of more than 3,000 households which have received a ‘gold’ package of support from Hull City Council.
It’s the top level of support for the disabled, elderly or people on their own with very young children.
It includes power and heating being restored and initial cleaning of the home as well as survey to identify repairs needed.
Gold support also includes the removal of flood damaged materials, measures to dry the home, help with additional electricity costs, help to replace essential household goods, and help with re-plastering and basic redecoration.
The package also includes frequent visits and calls from a case worker – and in Mrs Dillon’s case that was Donna Thackeray (pictured).
“She’s been so positive and thankful and has coped enormously well with everything,” says Donna.

Mrs Dillon emptying water from the dehumidifier used to help dry her home

Praise for support

Meanwhile, the council has received national praise for the way it has helped thousands of flooded families.
“Hull is by the far the worst hit area in the country,” says Paul Hendy, non-executive director of the National Flood Forum, an organisation set up to help flood victims.
“But the council has responded very well, particularly in getting advice out to victims.
“Setting up the Independent Review Body to examine the flooding is another positive action by the council – because everybody who was flooded wants to know why it happened.
“The council has also started to get out emergency funding to those who need it most - and for people who are in severe financial hardship that has taken stress out of their lives and weight off their minds.”

Council tax relief

All council tax payers who suffered flood damage are receiving cheques to the value of 25 per cent of their net yearly council tax payments for six months (with amounts up to Ł104, Ł121, Ł138 and Ł155, depending on whether properties are in bands A,B,C or D respectively).
On top of that a total of 2,940 cheques for Ł250 have so far been given out to gold and silver households, including to Mrs Dillon, to cover additional costs in the clean-up operation.

Flooding facts

A total of 6,971 houses were flooded, including 3,536 owner occupied and 2,479 council owned.
More than 700 council staff initially visited around 16,000 properties in flood-affected streets, where they assessed what level of support was needed,whether gold, silver or bronze.
5,000 further visits were made to houses where residents had not been at home in the first wave of visits.
With support from Hull City Council, a total of 188 families and single occupants have been temporarily re-housed, the majority into council accommodation.
Contractors from the three firms working on the city's Decent Homes programme are working to repair affected council homes, including removing damaged plaster, taking up loose floor tiles, testing properties for dampness and taking away rubbish. They have also delivered 1000 dehumidifiers to help dry properties.
The council is also providing a silver package of support to more than 750 households which includes power and heating being restored, help with drying the home, a survey identifying repairs needed and advice about help from other agencies.
More than 3,400 households are currently receiving bronze support which includes advice about help from other agencies plus free removal of bulky items.


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