Mary Long-Dhonau OBE has urged Essex residents to apply for thousands of pounds to better protect their homes after her own experience of surface water flooding.
Mary, also known as Flood Mary, has championed property flood resilience since her young family lost everything in sewage water.
She said: “We were totally unprepared. I had a young family, the youngest of whom had been recently diagnosed with severe autism and we were reeling from that news. We were also doing extensive renovations to our home, and my eldest son had a downstairs bedroom, while we pulled ceilings down and replastered walls upstairs.
“During the night, he called me to say his bedroom was full of flood water - and it stank! When we went downstairs, I couldn’t believe my eyes as there was filthy stanching flood water everywhere. It was mostly sewage water, and the smell was horrific! At its worst, it was waist deep.
“The aftermath was terribly difficult and stressful, especially for my autistic son, as he had lost every single one of his toys in the flood. Due to his learning difficulties, he didn’t understand what on earth was going on.”
Mary remembers how she lost irreplaceable memorabilia through the flood. She said: “I was saving all of my children’s memories from birth, such as hospital wristbands, pregnancy records, photos, nursery and school drawings from each term. I was planning on giving them to my children, wrapped up in a ribbon, on their 18th birthday as a memento. Sadly, I lost everything in the flood water. It still brings tears to my eyes all these years on.”
Mary has used her experiences to raise awareness about surface water flooding and mitigations, including the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant by Essex County Council.
Residents could bolster their homes with up to £8,000 in flood protection measures offered by the PFR grant, which is funded via the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC).
Protective measures include self-closing air bricks, reinforced flood doors, non-return valves, pumps and flood barriers.
The PFR grant is being delivered by Lakeside Flood Solutions for Essex homeowners who have or may experience flood water entering their homes.
Lakeside Flood Solutions has completed installations in over 180 properties across Essex since 2018. This includes an end-to-end service with flood risk surveys, product selection, design, installation and demonstration training.
Essex homeowners can check their property’s flood risk online to see if they are able to apply for the PFR grant. This may include residents living in critical drainage areas.
Homeowners will be asked to contribute to their flood protection measures if they exceed the £8,000 afforded by the grant.
Mary added: “If you have the chance to install Property Flood Resilience (PFR), do it! It’s a no-brainer. PFR will give you back control to know that, should a surface water flood come, you’ll be better protected to keep the water out, for longer. Having the peace of mind that you can manage your own flood risk is very empowering!”
Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council, said: “It is shocking to hear about what Mary and her family went through, especially given how unexpected it was. I therefore strongly encourage residents to check their eligibility for the Property Flood Resilience grant and secure their homes for the future.”
Cllr Peter Schwier AIEMA
Climate Czar
Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction & Recycling