When flooding struck a residential area within the military estate, Amey, alongside DIO, Pinnacle, and our supply chain partners, acted swiftly to ensure the safety and well-being of 24 residents impacted by the incident.
The immediate focus was on ensuring families could be relocated from flood-affected homes to safe temporary accommodation. In close partnership with DIO, Pinnacle, and our supply chain partners, our teams executed a rapid response plan.
This recovery process was stood up in record time with families swiftly receiving the necessary support, including emergency subsistence and ongoing updates. Maintaining regular and transparent communication meant families felt reassured and informed during every step. Pinnacle Liaison Officers provided daily updates and emergency funding and within 72 hours our teams moved had moved families to suitable housing.
During this time hundreds of sandbags were also being deployed over a 2-hour period to prevent further damage to properties. Large tankers were used to redirect huge volumes of water – ensuring it was removed and disposed of safely.
Next came the clean-up operation. Teams began a seven-day onsite recovery plan with CLC Group engineers stripping out flood-damaged homes and preparing temporary accommodations.
The experience from this incident has been invaluable. The rapid response and effective measures implemented at Chicksands were applied to a similar flooding incident in Hereford. Prompt actions such as deploying sandbags prevented a potentially worsening situation, highlighting the importance of preparedness in managing such crises.
AC Hatton, Unit Welfare Officer for Chicksands Support Unit said: “I would just like to put on record my personal thanks from everyone from DIO, Amey, and Pinnacle for the outstanding work that was carried out in response to the recent floods. Everyone I dealt with from all three organisations was without exception professional, diligent, and determined to do the best for the families affected – a real team effort.”