Remembering Storm Ciara: Five Years On

Storm Ciara and its impact on Calderdale

On 9th February 2020, Storm Ciara caused extensive damage across Calderdale, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. This was the fourth major flood event in the area within eight years, affecting around 1,200 homes and businesses. Storm Dennis and subsequent heavy rain further impacted the borough.

Storm Ciara brought a month’s worth of rain to parts of the borough in just 24 hours, resulting in severe damage to highways, transport infrastructure, residential and business properties, and other essential infrastructure.

Enhancing flood resilience in Calderdale

The community showed remarkable resilience in response to Storm Ciara. Over the past five years, significant progress has been made in addressing flooding and climate change, including:

• Securing £133 million to fund initiatives focused on strengthening defences, implementing natural flood management, improving infrastructure resilience, and building community resilience.
• Making significant progress on flood alleviation schemes across the borough. By 2027, seven schemes in Calderdale will protect over 1,390 properties.
• Utilising more than 120 sites for natural flood management since 2016, with the involvement of over ten delivery partners, hundreds of volunteers, and multiple funding sources.
• Launching a new round of Natural Flood Management (NFM) Grant funding.
• Refreshing the Flood Action Plan, which outlines actions to recover from past floods, minimise future flood impacts, and enhance resilience. View the Flood Action Plan.

In early 2019, Calderdale Council declared a climate emergency and set a target to achieve net zero by 2038, with significant progress by 2030. In 2023, the Climate Action Plan was launched to outline the path to this goal. See the progress made in the first year of the plan. View the Climate Action Plan annual review.

Do you have a flood plan?

Reflecting on the impact of Storm Ciara reminds us of the importance of being prepared for flooding. Preparing a flood plan will help you anticipate potential risks and establish clear steps to protect your loved ones and property.

Sign up for flood alerts and warnings

Signing up for flood alerts and warnings can give you vital extra time to prepare for flooding, keeping you, your loved ones, and your property safe.