More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
After a wet weekend for Kent, many villagers will be thinking about how bad things could have been.
In Yalding 22 people were evacuated and one remains in temporary accommodation - but it pales in comparison to the Christmas floods of 2013.
Hundreds of families woke to find their homes flooded on Christmas Day. In Yalding more than 50 people had to be evacuated.
Firefighters received more than 500 calls between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day six years ago.
Of these 194 were in Maidstone, Malling and the Weald, with 295 coming from the Tonbridge area.
Among the calls was a man stranded on the roof of his car as flood water rose above Farleigh Bridge.
The River Medway burst its banks in Maidstone town centre, cutting off flats in Barker Road and flooding the Lockmeadow complex.
In Yalding families had spent Christmas Day avoiding waist-high water on the ground floor of their homes.
Then prime minister David Cameron made a surprise visit two days after Christmas, receiving a frosty reception from villagers.
In the wake of flooding the Environment Agency, working together with local councils, has started putting together plans to improve flood defences at the Leigh Flood Storage Area (Leigh FSA).
Right now it can store 5.8million cubic metres of water and is thought to reduce the flood risk to around 1,200 homes and businesses.
As of August this year the gates at the Leigh FSA have been surveyed to check they're fully operational, while the Environment Agency has investigated how much it can expand the storage area.
The £21.5million Leigh FSA Embankments scheme hopes to increase the storage levels to 7.3million cub metres - protecting more than 1,400 homes and 100 businesses.
The Environment Agency is expected to submit a planning application to install an embankment in Hildenborough to help prevent flooding.
A spokesman from the Environment Agency said: "The Leigh flood storage area has protected 1,200 homes and businesses in Tonbridge and Hildenborough during the heavy rain this week, and can hold 5.5m cubic metres of flood water.
"We expect to submit a planning application with a detailed design for expansion in Spring 2020. The detailed design will give greater certainty to residents and stakeholders on requirements and mitigation.
"In addition, our teams are out making sure rivers are flowing freely, clear of obstruction. While the immediate weather forecast is better, we’re certainly not complacent about flood-risk in Kent as we move towards Christmas. People should keep an eye on our updates in the media and online."
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council says no homes were flooded in last weekend's raise.
Maidstone Borough Council assisted with the evacuation of 22 people, all in Little Venice, Yalding. One remains in temporary accomodation.
