"It changed communities in Calderdale" - Flood summit reflects on 2015 Boxing Day floods ten years on

The West Yorkshire Flood Summit brought together leaders from across the county to discuss progress in flood prevention over the last ten years and future plans for preventing further disasters.

Among those speaking at the event, held at Dean Clough, was chief executive of Calderdale Council, Robin Tuddenham; Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin; deputy leader of Calderdale Council Scott Patient; leader of Calderdale Council Jane Scullion; MP for Calder Valley Josh Fenton-Glynn; Emma Hardy MP, minister for water and glooding, and Lyn Pearl, Yorkshire area director of the Environment Agency.

The summit heard that the flood, caused by Storm Eva, cost the regional economy half a billion pounds and that over Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2015, 75 per cent of that month's expected rainfall was recorded.

Three thousand homes and 1,500 businesses were damaged in Caldedale during the 2015 floods.

Robin Tuddenham said: "We are a place that's tough and resilient but that can recover.

"Our environment is beautiful but can also create great challenges for us.

"Over 6,000 properties in the county were affected in 2015, and behind every one of those there is a family, a livelihood or a community that had to rebuild.

"We have overseen an increase in investment in flood recovery in West Yorkshire but our work is far from done."

Mr Tuddenham said the cost of the 2015 floods for the county ran into the hundreds of millions.

Scott Patient said of the 2015 floods: "It changed communities in Calderdale.

"Before Storm Eva, we had three flood wardens in the Calder Valley. In the days and weeks after, we had 30, who remain to this day.

"There's a saying - we rally in the valley - and we saw people come together, regardless of who they were, they all pitched in.

"Places are now much better protected for the future.

Lyn Peart said the Environment Agency had invested £375m in flood resilience across West Yorkshire since 2015, spread across 100 projects and impacting 4,800 properties.

Coun Jane Scullion said: "Flooding doesn't just affect buildings, it damages infrastructure, railway lines, roads, disrupts services, and it damages mental health anjd creates extraordinary anxiety.

"Here in Calderdale, we have risen to the challenge. We know it's going to happen again and we will be ready."

Coun Scullion there are still issues to be addressed around drainage systems that are too antiquated and challenges around insurance, with some homes becoming "uninsurable" and property values being damaged.

"People who have been flooded often feel a sense of powerlessness and anger," she said.

"We need new solutions and some innovation will come from communities themselves.

"We need investment, innovation and partnerships."