Communities pulling together as the flood clear-up continues

NEARLY a week after a freak storm battered Ottery St Mary, residents are still trying to come to terms with its devastating effects.

Torrential rain and hail caused vast swathes of the town to be deluged with flood waters.

Ali Ransom and her son Jamie, 16, live in Thorne Farm Way, one of the worst affected areas, and Ali believes it could take up to six months for her house to be restored.

"We were flooded through the ground floor. It went into the garage, through the hall and into the downstairs toilet and kitchen," she said.

"Our cat Sydney seems to be quite traumatised. We didn't realise the water was in the house till she started crying in the kitchen.

"My son came down and she was up on the table and he managed to rescue her. Now she is scared of the dehumidifier and doesn't want to go out. It's not easy for pets either."

The carpets and laminate flooring in Ali's house have been removed and dehumidifiers and fans are going around the clock to dry out the house.

"It will be two to four weeks before work can even start," she said.

"It is exhausting. Everyone here has lost their cars. I can't get to work and my son can't get to school. The whole community is just in a state of disbelief."

In the wake of the flooding, Ali said she was heartened by the public response.

"Rotary Club volunteers got their spades out and helped people clear their drives and helped us get the sludge out of our garage," she said.

"A really huge thank you to them, they were fantastic.

"We are a very strong community in Thorne Farm Way and everyone has helped everyone else. I think this has probably brought people closer together."

With the clean-up well under way, Ali and her son are looking to the future.

But she added: "There is always going to be that worry that it could happen again."

Life in Ottery St Mary is slowly getting back to normal.

The town carnival went ahead as planned last week and Ottery's annual tar barrels event tonight is still pressing ahead.

With the bonfire under water following last week's flooding, there were fears that the ancient ceremony would not happen this year.

Graham Rowland, chairman of the tar barrels event and the Ottery St Mary carnival, said: "Unless the weather deteriorates, it will go ahead. Not that it could get much worse than it has been."

The clean up and repair bill from the aftermath of the severe storms which hit parts of East Devon last week could exceed £1m.

Devon County Council is continuing to clear the main debris but its current assessment of the costs of the damage was given to its executive yesterday afternoon.

The worst of the clear- up is expected to be completed by Friday but the minor road network will take longer.

Councillor Roger Giles, Devon county councillor for Ottery St Mary Rural, said: "Ottery St Mary and Feniton bore the brunt of the storm and the damage, which was unprecedented in modern times.

"But there were many other communities, such as Alfington and Tipton St John, that were also hit very hard."

Inspections of roads and bridges in the area are on- going, but no bridges are thought to have been severely damaged.

The county council executive agreed to a recommendation to meet with other agencies to discuss what lessons could be learned from the incident.