Government tells Grands Vaux residents they won't receive compensation after flooding
Emma Volney has been to meet Grands Vaux residents who believe they deserve compensation.
Jersey residents affected by the flooding at Grands Vaux earlier this year have been told they won't receive any compensation from the government to cover belongings lost in the incident.
58 homes had to be evacuated during flash flooding in January 2023, with 22 of them left uninhabitable as a result of the heavy rainfall.
Following the major incident, Jersey's Infrastructure Minister said it would cost in the region of £60 million to shore up flood defences in the area.
Deputy Tom Binet later apologised, saying the cost was just a "fag packet estimate" and it would actually cost closer to £200 million.
Deputy Binet said the revised £200 million cost pushed it "into the realms of unaffordability".
Residents have already received a £1,000 "goodwill gesture" from Andium Homes - the government-owned social housing company which owns the Grands Vaux properties - as well as having flooring and household appliances replaced free of charge.
The company also paid to put affected residents up in hotels while they had to leave their homes.
However, tenants had hoped for additional compensation from the government after ministers admitted they knew of problems with the area's Victorian drainage system.
One Grands Vaux resident, Essie Laffoley, has spent several months emailing the Chief Minister seeking compensation.
She said the situation for residents is "heartbreaking" as some residents didn't have insurance and have been left in debt, saying they felt "brushed aside" by government officials.
Grands Vaux resident Essie said people have "lost everything" as a result of the flooding.
After two months, a response sent out by the Chief Minister's office said: "I am very sorry to hear of the difficulties you have experienced since the flooding earlier this year.
"I understand we are not putting in place a compensation fund for the flooding, however, I understand you have received support from both Andium Homes and [the] Customer and Local Services [department], so I would recommend you contact them if you continue to require any further help."
The email then directed the resident towards counselling and psychological support made available for islanders affected by the major incidents in the last few months.
It said: "We are concerned about the trauma you have experienced and would like to highlight that there is a range of different types of wellbeing support available to you.
"We have partnered with Jersey Talking Therapies with a view to providing additional counselling and psychological support to those that need it."
Andium Homes says 18 households at Grands Vaux were given £1,000 from its community grant fund, explaining it wasn't intended to compensate people who didn't have insurance:
"Recognising that our residents had been through a difficult time, the grant was intended as an allowance to help residents settle back into their former home, or into a new home if they had decided to move."
The company added that leases for all its properties contain clauses requiring tenants to have their own contents insurance, but it knows some people weren't covered.
Some residents were rescued in inflatable boats when their Grands Vaux homes flooded earlier this year.
Andium added that work has been done at the Grands Vaux properties to better protect them against future floods: "All affected homes have had extensive refurbishments and redecoration, including but not limited to, new floors with bitumen damp proof membranes below the new screed floors, new doors and new electrics which allow all ground floors to be isolated in the event of any future flood event.
"This together with new flood barriers will help make the properties more resilient to future floods."
Jersey politician, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, recently proposed setting up a dedicated "emergency fund" to offer financial support for islanders caught up in disasters.
The government has also committed to providing free psychological support for islanders affected by recent major incidents, including the floods.
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