Storm boards and flood management over winter
As the weather turns autumnal Havant Borough Councils (HBC) coastal team the Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership will be working with the Emergency Planning Team to install the storm boards at Eastoke. This is part of the councils flood response management over the winter.
As someone living on Hayling Island there are also actions you can take to prepare for the winter weather on the coast. This article will tell you more.
Storm Boards at Eastoke
The storm boards at Eastoke are installed each year around the end of September / start of October and remain in place until Easter time. The boards are put in place at the beach access points to reduce the risk of flooding to the homes and businesses areas behind the seafront.
The boards control the flow of water when waves overtop the beach and wash into the promenade area. This allows the promenade to be drained at a controlled rate reducing the risk of further flooding to inland properties.
Should flooding to the landward side of the storm boards occur and no HBC presence is on site at Eastoke you can contact HBC Customer Services on 023 9244 6019 during working hours and the HBC Duty Officer on 07770 477533
Northney
During stormy periods Northney Road may become inaccessible near Hayling Bridge especially at high tide. If possible you should plan your journey to avoid travelling through floodwater as this will put you other people & properties at greater risk. As coastal flooding is tidal it is likely to be of short duration over the high tide periods.
What you can do Be prepared
Havant Borough Council Duty Officers monitor the coastline during storm periods. Most of the time actions are triggered by Environment Agency Flood Warnings for the level of response required. As a resident you can be prepared by signing up to the Environment Agency flood warnings at https://fwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/home or by calling 0345 988 1188. These will alert you when flood warnings are issued.
In addition the Environment Agency website has information on how to form a Household Flood Plan. There are printable resources at https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-a-flood/ to help guide you through the actions you should take along with notes of important numbers and information that will be needed should flooding occur.
If your property is at risk and you have suitable dry or covered storage you may want to consider getting a supply of sandbags grow bags or polythene bags which can be filled with loose material to be prepared. HBC do not issue sandbags to households as a standard policy but a list of suppliers can be obtained from the Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership.
If you are or care for a vulnerable person you may wish to inform HBC Customer Services so the Emergency Planning Team can be made aware in case of evacuation of an area.