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SPECIAL REPORT
FLOODING
During the heavy rains of September, the rivers Ravensbourne, Quaggy and Pool
overflowed causing serious flooding in parts of the Borough. The following is an
account of the occurrence as it affected the Health Department.
The first intimation came on Sunday afternoon 15th September, from a message
to the Emergency Control Centre which serves the Greenwich Health and Welfare
Department and the Lewisham Health Department from Lewisham Police asking
for the telephone number of the Lewisham Welfare Officer. The officer on duty
telephoned the Medical Officer of Health and was given the required information
with a request that the M.O.H. be informed if the Health Department could help.
On monday morning a meeting of certain Councillors, representatives from the
Town Clerk's, Health and Welfare Departments was held in Deptford Town Hall
with the result that a Flood Control Centre was set up there.
District nurses, home help organisers and public health inspectors were alerted and
visits arranged to ascertain the extent of the damage.
The Department placed at the disposal of the Welfare Department, who were
most immediately and urgently involved, the Department's transport situated at the
Disinfecting Station in Speedwell Street. It was not possible to use vehicles at Wearside
Road at first because they could not be got out of the Depot due to the depth of
water flooding the area.
The prime necessity after the water had receded or had been pumped away by the
fire brigade or Borough Engineer's Department was the provision of heaters to dry
out the homes as speedily as possible. A local firm, on their own initiative, offered
the use of all their available heaters for this purpose, and the Department through the
central control, arranged to have them picked up and delivered to one of the affected
areas straight away. The first three heaters were in operation in Watermead Road
during Monday afternoon. This road was selected as being the first ready to start
operations in, as the water had subsided sufficiently to make the use of heaters a
practicable proposition. These heaters were operated by Army personnel under the
general guidance of one of the public health inspectors.
A general survey of the flooded areas was carried out by the public health inspectors
during Monday to ascertain the extent of the flooding and the areas to which priority
should be given for the use of heaters as they became available.
A complaints reception centre was set up within the Department and all complaints
were passed on to the public health inspectors or other officers and departments as
appropriate for their investigation and action. Close liaison both directly and through
central control was maintained with all other departments concerned and with
outside agencies, police, fire brigade, army, R.A.F. etc.
As more heaters became available further teams of public health inspectors,
students, technical assistants, army and R.A.F. were brought into action, together
with the necessary transport provided by the Borough Engineer and our own Department.
The number of heaters that were subsequently brought into use was 150, some of
which were under the control of the Housing and Estates Department, who were in
a better position to supply the necessary labour force.
Later in the week it was decided gradually to withdraw the public health inspectors
from the direct control of the heaters (the control of these heaters being passed over
to the Housing and Estate Manager's Department), because it was felt that they were
better employed dealing with the innumerable problems that had arisen due to the
flood, and which were within the ambit of their normal duties.
During the first few days sufficient disinfectant was issued to deal with all of the
known properties affected. Unfortunately, many people did not dilute it according
to instructions and consequently they complained that not enough was distributed.
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