Sue Cashmore’s Story – a Flood Re Case Study

Sue Cashmore, an advanced nurse practitioner, has lived in her house in Cockermouth in Cumbria for thirteen years. When she bought the property, in 2004, she understood the local area hadn’t flooded for forty or fifty years.

It was something of a shock when, just one year after moving in, her house was inundated.

It happened again in 2008 and 2009 and then once again two years ago.

Sue says the 2009 flood was the worst:

In November of that year Cockermouth was devastated by flood waters that affected 1,300 properties. Unprecedented rain – over thirty-one centimetres in twenty-four hours – swelled rivers and streams which surged through the Cumbrian market town.

Sue says the effect was catastrophic:

“We lost our town, our shops, our homes and our social areas..”

At their peak, the floodwaters rose above eight feet. Sue and her two daughters, the family’s two dogs and a cat were stranded on the first floor of their home for seventeen hours. They were eventually rescued by the RNLI.

Sue maintains that the flooding was frightening but the aftermath was worse:

“The water is scary, but it is the year afterwards that’s the hardest, thinking your life is never going to get back to normal again. But we got through it.”

Sue’s elderly parents, who live 100 yards away from Sue’s house, were also flooded. Sue had to project manager the repairs, building work and insurance for both homes. She had to live in her house for almost a year while the restoration work went on.

Sue admits that even now –  like many people who have been through an experience like this –  the onset of heavy rain can trigger feelings of stress and anxiety and even provoke nightmares.

One thing that initially added to the stress was the fear of not being able to afford house insurance. The severe flooding meant many people faced huge increases in their home insurance premiums – and as a result felt extremely vulnerable.

Sue, who is chair of the Cockermouth Flood Action Group says she’s been aware of the Flood Re scheme for a while:

“I was amazed to find affordable insurance: My premium dropped from more than £3,000 and I now have only a £250 excess. What a relief! Flood Re means we can sleep easier knowing we have insurance to help us recover more easily from flooding. Flood Re is brilliant news for anyone like me who lives in a flood-prone area.” 

As a survivor of one of the worst floods to hit Britain in living memory, what advice does Sue have for anyone else who is struck?

“I would say don’t throw things away. Wait to see if they can be restored and most importantly, have a flood plan in place.”