Main navigation

Case Study

Topic

Financial Support for Individuals

Incident / Exercise

Incident: Carlisle Floods, 8 January 2005

Background and Context

On the night of Friday 7 / Saturday 8 January 2005, severe storms and unprecedented rainfall on already saturated ground fell across Cumbria. Over the Friday night and into Saturday, this caused extensive flooding and storm damage particularly in the Carlisle area.

The impacts of this included:

• 3 deaths
• 1,925 homes and business flooded - to 2 metres
• 3,000+ people homeless for up to 12 months+
• 40,000 addresses without power
• 3,000 jobs put at risk.

How the Topic was Handled

Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF) was established to manage charitable funding across the County of Cumbria, and had successfully administered the disaster fund during the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in 2001.

Drawing on the FMD experience, local authorities and partners agreed that CCF would again be used as a vehicle though which all donations and other funding for individuals and community groups would be channelled. There are administrative and taxation advantages to this work being done by a registered charity of this nature, and being already established, it was able to respond quickly.

Local authorities contributed to the charitable fund to establish it; this was then supplemented by donations from the public and others.

The main grants were for families suffering hardship and for community projects designed to support welfare activity within the affected communities. £810,000 was raised, 981 grants were made (920 to households, 61 to voluntary groups).

Lessons Identified

Having an organisation like a local community foundation ready for such an eventuality has huge advantages.

Contacts for Further Information

Andy Beeforth
Director
Cumbria Community Foundation
Tel: 01900 242136
Website: www.cumbriafoundation.org

John Mallinson
Head of Scrutiny and Emergency Planning Services,
Carlisle City Council
Tel: 01228 817010

Lindsay Cowen
Emergency Planning Officer
Cumbria County Council
Tel: 01228 815700

Additional Documents

The Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund Appeal document sets out the objectives for an appeal, then carries this through in terms of criteria and application forms.  It was CCF’s core fundraising document. 

The  Disaster Appeal Toolkit is a combination of international experience and covers alternative strategies and questions about whether you want to launch an appeal or not.