A £1 MILLION funding package has been announced to help communities plan for emergencies in the wake of last year's major flooding.

The Big Lottery Fund will fund the three-year 'Rebuilding Together' programme led by Cumbria CVS and delivered in partnership with Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) and Action with Communities in Cumbria (ACT).

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The project will support communities as they draw up emergency plans, deliver guidance on property refurbishments and create groups to support the statutory sector.

Supporting expertise

Karen Bowen, chief officer of Cumbria CVS, said: "It will allow us all to build on the work we have done with communities, local organisations and volunteers since the floods.

"We'll be drawing on the expertise of specialist organisations and national best practice to produce plans for the future."

December's floods across Cumbria saw an overwhelming number of people volunteering to help in Cumbria, with more than 50,000 hours of volunteer work accounted for in the first couple of months.

The project, which is due to start in October, will explore how best to coordinate these volunteers, and provide appropriate training.

Protecting neighbourhoods

Lorrainne Smyth, ACT's chief executive, said: "This is a much needed injection of resource into supporting individuals, households and communities to consider what they can do in preparing for and bouncing back after extreme events such as last year's floods.

"Communities have told us how local knowledge has informed the actions taken in emergency situations to protect the most vulnerable and reduce negative impacts for all.

"Being prepared is proven as a key to increasing the resilience of people and communities."

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The project will also involve a number of other specialist organisations including the National Flood Forum, Lancaster University's National Parks Research Centre, CLASP, Cumbria Community Foundation and the Rivers Trusts.

Hazel Graham, chief executive at CAfS, said: "With the MET office clearly stating that extreme weather events are seven times more likely on a planet with human-made climate change, it is essential that we start to tackle the root causes."