Mary Long-Dhonau OBE, also known as Flood Mary, lost everything in sewage water. Now, she raises awareness about property flood resilience. This includes a new grant offered by Essex County Council.
Mary remembers: “We were totally unprepared. I had a young family, the youngest of whom had been recently diagnosed with severe autism and we were reeling from that news. We were also doing extensive renovations to our home, and my eldest son had a downstairs bedroom, while we pulled ceilings down and replastered walls upstairs.
“During the night, he called me to say his bedroom was full of flood water - and it stank! When we went downstairs, I couldn’t believe my eyes as there was filthy stanching flood water everywhere. It was mostly sewage water, and the smell was horrific! At its worst, it was waist deep.
“The aftermath was terribly difficult and stressful, especially for my autistic son, as he had lost every single one of his toys in the flood. Due to his learning difficulties, he didn’t understand what on earth was going on.”
Mary lost irreplaceable memorabilia through the flood. She said: “I was saving all of my children’s memories from birth, such as hospital wristbands, pregnancy records, photos, nursery and school drawings from each term. I was planning on giving them to my children, wrapped up in a ribbon, on their 18th birthday as a memento. Sadly, I lost everything in the flood water. It still brings tears to my eyes all these years on.”
Mary urges Essex residents to apply for the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant.
This is for homeowners who have or may experience flood water entering their homes. You can check your eligibility online.
You could receive up to £8,000 in defences if your home is prone to flooding. This includes:
· self-closing air bricks
· reinforced doors
· non-return valves
· pumps
· flood barriers
The PFR grant is being delivered by our partners, Lakeside Flood Solutions.
Lakeside Flood Solutions has installed defences in over 180 properties across Essex. This includes an end-to-end service.
Homeowners are asked to contribute to the cost if defences go above the £8,000 afforded by the grant.
Mary said: “If you have the chance to install Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures, do it! It’s a no-brainer. PFR will give you back control to know that, should a surface water flood come, you’ll be better protected to keep the water out, for longer. Having the peace of mind that you can manage your own flood risk is very empowering!”