Possible flooding expected – council is on standby, residents urged to be prepared

Residents in the East Riding are being urged to prepare themselves for more possible flooding in some areas over the next few days. 

Further heavy rainfall is expected in our area from midnight tonight (00.00 Thursday 2 November) with the arrival of Storm Ciarán, following last weekend’s unexpected weather which caused more than 20 roads to be flooded. 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is gearing up operations in preparation in case, with the workforce on standby round the clock to deal with any issues that occur. 

A number of roads were closed on Sunday (29 October) and this may happen again, but council staff will be ready to arrange road closures for people’s safety if needed. 

The teams will be working alongside Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and other emergency responders. 

The Met Office has issued a Yellow Warning of rain and forecasts gusty winds expected for tomorrow (Thursday) for the East Riding.

There are currently alerts for Stamford Bridge and parts of Cottingham. 

Carl Skelton, the council’s acting director of streetscene services, said: “We are continuing to deal with the impacts of Sunday’s weather across the area, when we saw up to 40mm of rain falling, causing flooding problems at 35 locations and leading to several roads being closed. 

“All roads have now reopened and the flood water has receded. 

“However, as the ground in many areas is still waterlogged from last weekend’s heavy rainfall, some flooding is likely during the next storm. 

“The worst areas affected last weekend were Dunswell, Wilberfoss and Lockington, and they may be affected again. 

“Whilst we can’t always stop flooding, with the right preparations in advance, and by responding swiftly to warnings when they are issued, there is a great deal people can do to reduce the impact of a flood. 

“We don’t want to alarm people, we just want residents to be prepared just in case.” 

The council’s flood schemes at Willerby and Derringham, Cottingham and Orchard Park, and Anlaby and East Ella – designed to capture rainwater flowing off land to prevent it from reaching homes and businesses – are working well. 

But they are not designed to protect against downpours from above, so residents are being encouraged to take their own measures if they are at risk from possible flooding, including: 

stocking up with your own sandbags – please don’t rely on the council to supply them as they are needed to protect infrastructure in emergencies, 

signing up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings, 

following @EnvAgencyNYE on X (formerly Twitter) for the latest flood updates, 

calling the Floodline on 0345 3881188. 

If your home or business is flooded, please contact the council for help immediately on 01482 393939. Please only call if it is urgent so we can support the most in need. 

In an emergency situation always call 999. 

Visit the council’s website for information and advice about what you can do to prepare for flooding at www.eastriding.gov.uk/floodprep/ 

Details on current flood warnings in your area can be found at https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings 

PICTURE CAPTION: 

Flooding on Dunswell Lane, Dunswell, near Hull, caused by Sunday’s heavy rainfall.