'Give us a future': Anger as residents still not back in homes six months after Storm Babet

It’s been six months since Storm Babet battered the UK but many communities are still picking up the pieces.

The storm, which hit last October, caused devastating flooding, widespread power cuts and left seven people dead.

In Catcliffe, a village near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, more than 200 homes were evacuated when water levels reached over six feet high.

And while the water has gone, its impact is still being felt.

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The residents of Sheffield Lane were among those forced to flee – and most of them still aren’t back in their homes.

Instead, they’re still staying with family or living in hotels while they wait for their properties to be repaired.

Chris Lloyd was led to safety in a raft by firefighters when his home became submerged by fast-rising waters. His property was so badly damaged that he won’t be back in it until June.

He says flood-hit communities feel totally forgotten.

“Do something, tell us something,” he says in a message to authorities.

“Give us something to reduce the amount of water that could potentially come in. I’ve said it a million times, but try and give the people of Catcliffe a future.”

Across the road at Jack’s Theatre School, the Saturday morning toddler group is oblivious to the stress and strain caused by the storm.

It took weeks for the historic building to dry out and the school relied on the help of dozens of volunteers to clean up the dirt and debris before they could return to the premises in February.

For staff and students, the show must go on, but there’s always the worry this could happen again.

Teacher Mia Mottram says: “Every time there’s heavy rain, I’m sat at home thinking I hope it’s not raining in Catcliffe because if it’s heavy again… it’s awful having to think like that.

“We know a lot of the children on this road and it was heartbreaking to think it was their homes that had been destroyed.”

There are concerns the UK is lagging behind when it comes to proactive steps to protect people and homes from extreme rainfall.

Baroness Brown, deputy chair of the UK Committee on Climate Change, says: “I don’t know how much more of a wakeup call we need from the climate.”

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Flooding minister Robbie Moore has called for local authorities to be careful when considering housing applications and make sure homes aren’t being built on floodplains.

“From my point of view, I want to be making sure the government… is putting as much money as possible into flood alleviation measures,” he says.

Meanwhile, communities such as the one in Catcliffe are trying to rebuild their homes and lives – all while fearing they won’t be properly protected when the next storm arrives.

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