Wealden Council has been in communication with local communities (Friday 7 February) following the high tides over the last few days. Arrangements have been put in place to establish a rest centre at the Sovereign Centre, Eastbourne.
Jim van den Bos, Communications Officer with Wealden District Council explained;
“Following a coastal flood warning from the Environment Agency covering an area from Sovereign Harbour to Normans Bay, emergency response officers from Eastbourne Borough Council and Wealden District Council set up a rest centre last night (5 February) at the Sovereign Centre to provide shelter in case high tides forced local residents to leave their homes.”
“Officers and local councillors from Wealden Rother and Eastbourne visited seafront homes on Tuesday evening to warn householders of the possibility of flooding, to tell them about the rest centre and check on any vulnerable people”.
Eight people including a family of a six took refuge in the Eastbourne rest centre during the night, safe from the threat of flooding.
Wealden District Councillor Lin Clark helped with the door knocking in her local ward:
“It was well worth fighting the wind to reach out to those who were vulnerable, as we were able to comfort them with the reassurance that they were not alone as help was but a phone call away. However it was a shame we came across a degree of complacency among some residents. We were lucky this time, but it could have been a very different story. It is worth remembering that we are always at the mercy of the sea”.
“With strong winds expected to continue for most the week, the public are being advised to stay away from cliff edges and beaches where there is a danger of being hit by flying shingle”.
