SOME Grands Vaux properties could require up to four months of repair work until they are habitable again, according to Andium Homes, with one resident calling for immediate action to prevent a repeat of the flooding.
Andium executive Carl Mavity said that contractors and repair teams were at the site every day tackling the damage caused by last month’s flooding.
Almost 60 households were initially evacuated when rainfall overwhelmed the Island’s drainage system and caused water to rise to waist height in some areas of the Andium estates.
A major incident was declared and an inflatable raft was used by emergency-service crews to ferry residents to safety.
Mr Mavity said that, of the 17 waterlogged properties that remained uninhabitable as a result of the incident, ten were ‘more significantly affected’ than the others.
This, he explained, meant it could be up to four months before the occupants – who are currently staying in hotels, alternative Andium properties or with friends and family – were able to move back in. He added that the remaining seven were damaged ‘to a lesser degree’, with those residents probably able to return in ‘weeks, not months’.
‘For those who are most affected we are looking at more permanent accommodation – those conversations will take place on an individual basis,’ he continued.
‘The fundamental thing is making sure [the properties] are dried properly, repaired and that new floor coverings are put down, so that it is safe for them to move back in.’
One resident, Kerry Goguelin – who has launched a petition calling for the government to produce and publish a ‘flood response action plan’ – said the recovery effort highlighted the need for immediate action.
‘They should do something now instead of waiting for it to become a problem again,’ she added.
Ms Goguelin also said she hoped her property could be habitable in ‘weeks’, but added she was ‘not surprised’ that some residents were facing longer delays.
‘My downstairs was ruined and they said it was still too wet to go and replace the units. Not living in your own home – it’s stressful,’ she explained.
