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Team gives flood prevention advice to residents

Cheryl Dennisin Minehead
News imageCatherine Greer A back garden in Minehead, Somerset, flooded by brown water. The image shows a tree in the foreground with netting, and garden fencing to the right. In the backgroudn there are greenhouses, and hen houses with green and whilte tarpaulin. There is a brown hen balancing on top of a fence beside a green hedge and a white duck swimming in the wate. Green are dangling on some of the branches of the tree, and wind fallen apples are bobbing in the water. There are also chairs to the left showing water up to the seat giving an idication to the depth of the water. The water is dappled showing that the rain is still falling. Catherine Greer
Catherine Greer's back garden in 2023, which was knee-deep in dirty water, ruining stock, vegetables and displacing hens.

People whose properties have been flooded in west Somerset are being offered advice and help by volunteers.

The Rotary Club in Minehead has six people surveying homes, recommending and providing preventative kits to hold back water. They say they can "tailor" the equipment depending on the need of each resident.

Catherine Greer's garden was seriously flooded for the first time in 2023, with dirty water damaging outbuildings, ruining vegetables and displacing hens.

She said: "It [flooded] so quickly, and if it rains, you normally sit inside... but now I'm going to be a bit more alert, a bit more apprehensive."

News imageA woman wtih dark curly hair standing in from of her garden on a grey, drizzly day. She's smiling at the camera and wearing a purple crocheted scarf. To her right a garden path runs down towards outbuildings and tall trees which are blurry in the background.
Catherine Greer has sought help from the Minehead Rotary Club after her garden was flooded in 2023

She has just had her home surveyed by Minehead Rotary Club volunteers, as part of the EVAG (Emergency Volunteer Action Group), which is a partnership including Rotary Clubs in Somerset.

Catherine added: "I saw an advert on Facebook and I thought well, I have nothing to lose to get their advice, to come round and see what they think."

It was formed after the 2014 floods in Somerset, and branched out to Minehead last year.

John Baker from the club said: "There's not a lot we can do about the major flooding, and particularly the rising sea levels, but we can help people like Catherine to prevent water coming into their houses, or their gardens, if we can."

News imageAn older man with a white beard and moustache smiles at the camera, wearing a navy Rotary Club hat with their yellow symbol on it. He's wearing a black and grey raincoat with a navy checked shirt with red lines, and a navy jumper beneath. Behind him is a garden of different shades of bright green to dark green. A garden path runs up his right hand side, with hedges. There are also outbuildings and tall trees in the background, with a grey sky behind.
John Baker from Minehead Rotary Club is one of six volunteers, surveying homes and advising which types of flood prevention kit is needed

John Bird, Trustee of EVAG, said there is a growing need for services the scheme can help fund.

He said: "We're getting the same amount of rain, but it's coming in huge lumps.

"We've got various different types of kit, and we tailor that to whoever comes along, and we have a look at their property and decide what they need."

The kits are funded by Somerset Prepared through grants, with people receiving them invited to make a small voluntary donation to the Rotary EVAG scheme, if they are able to.

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