On the 25th of June last year my life along with thousands of other people's lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Hull was changed forever by the flooding which affected these areas.
To me the bungalow is now just a place.
When it became clear that flooding along Church Lane and Vicarage Lanes was inevitable my brother picked me up along with my family photographs, some important documents and a few clothes which I had put into a suitcase. It took us four hours to travel the twelve miles to his home, a worrying time indeed.
After the flood water began to recede I ventured back to the bungalow, on opening the door the dank smell which would last for months was the first thing to 'greet' me, the dirty water which lapped over the tops of my shoes as I wandered from room to room being the second.

I would like to thank some of the people who then proceeded in so many ways to make my life bearable. Cathy, who promptly arrived clutching a large bar of chocolate for me, knowing it to be my favourite stress reliever. Cathy was soon followed by Joan, who had difficulty walking even then but she managed to struggle across the road with her gifts of teabags and a jar of coffee. Then Sonia. Sonia who was going on holiday and promptly handed me her door keys saying that I was more than welcome to move in if I wanted to whilst she was away. Wow! How many people would do that? Needless to say I readily accepted her very kind offer. I want to thank Blanche for looking after my paintings and Lin who offered me use of her washing machine, the Post Office staff at Costcutters for taking care of my mail for me and the wheelie bin lads who worked so hard during what was a difficult time for them as well.  I remember them trying to cheer me up as I watched them taking all my furniture, which included the writing desk my parents bought me as my 21st birthday present and all the things that my late husband and I had bought together, away to the tip.

Many thanks too to Margaret and Harold for their continuing friendship, support and Harold’s expertise.

Fifteen months have passed and the re-building work on my property is now completed.  Initially my insurance company told me that they would allocate a builder, but so many people were in the same position as me, and there are only so many building companies out there.  After many months I was informed that a company based in Wakefield would be arriving in a few weeks to begin the work. My heart sank, suddenly Wakefield seemed a long, long way away.  As it turned out they never did turn up, deciding without informing my insurers or myself that they had gone off to work elsewhere.  Eventually my insurers agreed to me finding a local builder, and how fortunate I was when Mr Kemp, who already was so busy with many other flood repair projects came to my rescue.  The re-building work on my property is of the highest standard and I wish to thank Mr Kemp and all his workforce for that.

No one can deny that there wasn't a lot of additional rainfall that fateful month but the main reason for the chaos that followed was the years of neglect and mismanagement which proceeded the flooding.  Firstly our waterways must be dredged.  I find the Environmental Agency’s statement that dredging is not one of their policies as simply frightening.  The Burstwick drain used to be 16 feet deep, this depth has been reduced to just 6 feet because of the buildup of silt in it.  My common sense tells me that if you remove the silt the water level along the length of it is going to drop.  The drainage system must be properly maintained, the Environmental Agency and Yorkshire Water must listen to the local farmers and other people whose families have worked this land for generations, these are people who know what they are talking about.  Regular checking and rapid cleaning out of any blocked gullies would help, especially in places where problems are known to occur.  Correct sized pumps must be sited in places which themselves are not prone to flooding.

I would like to thank Bill, and his family for all their help during these past months too.  I have lost count of the cups of tea and super 'fry-ups' that Bill has made for me during this time.  Bill, you are a gentleman.

You may wonder where I have been staying since June 2007.  the answer is with a wonderful modest family who live in the village.  We had never met, but on hearing about my situation they immediately took me into their home and have made me feel like a member of their family ever since.

To have your home destroyed by flooding is a terrible experience and as we have seen living at the top of a hill or a distance away from a watercourse are not reasons to be complacent.

My life is now ruled by the weather forecasts.  If a dry day is 'on the cards' I can do my shopping or go out for a ride in the car without having to worry, but on hearing that heavy rain is on the way I am filled with dread.  I do not want to live the rest of my life with this fear hanging over me.  So come on the 'powers that be', work together, sort these problems out, you can do it and give myself and the rest of the people affected by the flooding what we desire most.  Our peace of mind.

Mrs Linda Sollitt