The anniversary of the severe flooding across parts of Rainham village that caused damage and distress to families, is approaching. Over the weekend of 15 and 16 August 2020 heavy localised rainfall overwhelmed local water courses and the drainage system in many roads in Rainham after a prolonged dry spell.
Families faced their homes being inundated, losing possessions and causing some to have to be rehoused for months whilst their homes dried out and structural repair works were completed.
The Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, Jon Cruddas, then brought together Havering Council, Thames Water, Environment Agency and Network Rail to learn the lessons of what went wrong and for all agencies to put in place actions to prevent a recurrence. Whilst to date there have been no further flooding events, the Labour MP has now reconvened the group.
Jon Cruddas said: “I was impressed with the collaborative work of the agencies to mitigate the risk of flooding to Rainham village. To be effective there must be coordinated work because each group has a vital part to play in flood prevention.
I am conscious that whilst there has been no flooding event over the past year, we have not faced a period of sustained heavy rainfall in the area. So, on behalf of local residents, I am reconvening the group to ensure that preventative maintenance works have been continued and that there is a readiness to react in the event of a flooding risk. I also want to check that longer term works are being put in place that will help prevent flood pressures upstream from Rainham.”