Priti 4 Witham

This morning we heard that more than 48,000 homes across Gloucestershire and parts of Herefordshire were left without power after a flooded power station was switched off. The pictures from these areas are devastating. Thousands of people are now without food, water and their homes. This is now an ongoing emergency with public health consequences. So with this reality in mind, I am astonished by the response from our political parties to this crisis. Brown has called for a review into the floods, but this is no-where near enough. A review headed up by a ‘worthy’ figure will provide no comfort to the thousands affected because once the water’s disappear, householders will have months of domestic misery ahead as they deal with insurance companies and the bureaucracy this brings. Those with insurance will in the future face higher premiums – more so if they live on a flood plain, while those without cover will be up against it when it comes to sorting out the damage. The government needs to offer and provide real assistance and assurance to those affected. As a matter of urgency, the provision of food and shelter is the number one priority and the emergency service and volunteer groups are clearly doing all they can in this area. But the government should go one step further so that once the waters have disappeared, pressure should be put on insurers work flat out to help families rebuild their homes and lives. In the era of social responsibility it will also be interesting to see whether insurance firms will assist those without cover or will the government step in to help? As for the Conservative response, well, surely its all about ‘social action’….