Case Study
Topic
Financial Support for Individuals
Incident / Exercise
Incident: Carlisle Floods, 8 January 2005
Background and Context
On the night of Friday 7 / Saturday 8 January 2005, severe storms and
unprecedented rainfall on already saturated ground fell across Cumbria.
Over the Friday night and into Saturday, this caused extensive flooding and
storm damage particularly in the Carlisle area.
The impacts of this included:
-
3 deaths
-
1,925 homes and business flooded - to 2 metres
-
3,000+ people homeless for up to 12 months+
-
40,000 addresses without power
-
3,000 jobs put at risk.
How the Topic was Handled
Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF) was established to manage charitable
funding across the County of Cumbria, and had successfully administered the
disaster fund during the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in 2001.
Drawing on the FMD experience, local authorities and partners agreed that
CCF would again be used as a vehicle though which all donations and other
funding for individuals and community groups would be channelled. There are
administrative and taxation advantages to this work being done by a
registered charity of this nature, and being already established, it was
able to respond quickly.
Local authorities contributed to the charitable fund to establish it; this
was then supplemented by donations from the public and others.
The main grants were for families suffering hardship and for community
projects designed to support welfare activity within the affected
communities. £810,000 was raised, 981 grants were made (920 to households,
61 to voluntary groups).
Lessons Identified
Having an organisation like a local community foundation ready for such an
eventuality has huge advantages.
Contacts for Further Information
Andy Beeforth
Director
Cumbria Community Foundation
Tel: 01900 242136
Website: www.cumbriafoundation.org
John Mallinson
Head of Scrutiny and Emergency Planning Services,
Carlisle City Council
Tel: 01228 817010
Lindsay Cowen
Emergency Planning Officer
Cumbria County Council
Tel: 01228 815700
Additional Documents
The
Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund Appeal document sets out the objectives for
an appeal, then carries this through in terms of criteria and application
forms. It was CCF’s core fundraising document.
The
Disaster Appeal Toolkit is a combination of international experience
and covers alternative strategies and questions about whether you want to
launch an appeal or not.
