A mother and her baby faced a harrowing experience during severe flooding in Manchester, raising concerns about safety measures.
Manchester: A woman and her six-week-old baby found themselves stuck in their flat during a scary flood on New Year’s Day. Neha Dey-Morgan described the whole situation as “terrifying.”
They were on the top floor of their apartment on Palatine Road in Didsbury when the River Mersey overflowed due to heavy rain. Neha’s family is now staying with her husband’s parents because they can’t go back home for two weeks while repairs are made.
She mentioned how frightening the flood was and wondered if more could have been done to keep people safe. The Environment Agency had warned about the severe flooding that impacted over 1,000 residents in Greater Manchester.
Mayor Andy Burnham said they would investigate if the right warnings were given, and local councillors are worried about the flood defenses in place. Neha’s husband had gone out to get food for their New Year’s lunch but couldn’t return because of the rising water.
“I was with the kids, and we had no clue what was going on outside. Then he called to say there was a lot of water in the garage,” she recalled. They never expected such a massive flood.
With the water supply cut off, Neha started to panic about having enough for the baby. She called 999, and firefighters rescued them in a boat.
“The electricity meter is ruined, there’s no water, and we were lucky to be on the top floor,” she said. Neha is concerned about why the authorities weren’t better prepared for this situation.
“I get that natural disasters happen, but knowing the river is so close, I think there should be more precautions in place,” she added. The BBC has reached out to the property management company for a comment.
