Following the once in fifty year rain storm which caused flooding in Herne Bay and overwhelmed its wastewater network, Southern Water has pledged to ensure householders and businesses affected by the traumatic floods will not be left out of pocket.
Exceptionally heavy rainfall which fell on 22nd August saw a number of customers’ properties flooded from the sewer network.
Southern Water is carrying out a full investigation to understand what, in addition to the extreme weather, may have contributed to this incident. The water company’s experts are continuing to investigate an issue where storm pumps may have failed to start up initially. Because of the quantity of rain, it is not yet known if internal flooding could have been avoided.
As a precaution, if any rain is forecast for the area Southern Water will have technicians stationed at the pumps until it is able to confirm the issue.
Southern Water has also notified DEFRA and Ofwat about the flooding.
The water company’s customer service teams and clean-up crews are continuing to support affected residents. All homes have now been disinfected and are being dried out by dehumidifiers in – the utility is also helping to assess and document any damage.
Southern Water is telling impacted customers:
“We will ensure that we restore homes to their previous state and replace any items which have been damaged in this incident. Our priority is to ensure that your home is restored to its previous state and any items damaged are replaced as quickly as possible. We are committed to going the extra mile to support you at a difficult time. “