 The cost of the damage to the city is estimated to be up to �250m |
Paul Shakesby was not sorry to see the back of 2005. He was one of hundreds of people left homeless after floods swept through Carlisle last January, leaving scenes of devastation in their wake. Twelve months on, his is one of about 400 homes which are still not ready to be moved back into, although he hopes to return by the end of the month. He said he has been left drained by the experience of trying to get repairs done to his house after water wrecked the downstairs rooms. "I have written off 2005. The whole year is one of frustration - it used to be anger and frustration - frustration that it has dragged on so long", he said. "There are so many elements outside the individual's control. You are not in control of your destiny. "I am just plodding on. I have got long past the stage where I rant and rave. Now it's just a case of being resigned to it. "I think the feeling now is that basically it's gone on too long. Really it doesn't feel like my house anymore. It may be brand new and sparkly, but I have lost interest. But there is relief that it could be finished soon."  Mr Shakesby has been living out of two suitcases for the past year |
Mr Shakesby, 57, lived in his house in Holme Terrace for about a month after the floods but the pressure of living without a bathroom and the continual noise and dust created by industrial driers became unbearable. Since then he has been renting a room from a friend in Wigton and living out of two suitcases. He said: "I don't get paranoid when it rains but I am sure it will have a conscious effect on what I keep in the downstairs rooms. "It does put a different reflection on what you need in life, having to live out of two suitcases." Carlisle City Council estimates the January floods directly affected 1,925 properties and the cost of the flood damage as up to �250m. Following the floods, the council ran a major clean-up, advice and support operation to help people recover.  The flood waters wrecked the downstairs rooms of the house |
In August, the Carlisle Renaissance project was launched setting out plans to revitalise the city over the next 10 to 15 years. The anniversary was being marked on Sunday by performances at the Crown & Mitre Hotel, with people affected by the floods, emergency services and groups which provided assistance invited to reflect on the floods and look to the future. The Environment Agency is in the process of a new flood defence scheme for the city, which was planned before the floods, to reduce the risk of floods. Work is due to start in the Spring. Other measures include CCTV and webcams at strategic points on rivers to keep an eye on blockages, temporary defences and new flood warning areas. A spokeswoman said: "In terms of whether something like this can happen again, it's impossible to say. "The flood defence scheme will substantially reduce the flood risk, but obviously we can never predict what the weather will do. There's always a chance that something worse will come along. "The rain we had this time last year was so exceptional - inches of rain, falling on to already wet ground, and gale force winds."
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