Flood evacuees to be put up in hotels to avoid household mixing in Leeds Council's Covid-safe flood contingency plan
People being evacuated from their homes in Leeds could be put up in hotels to avoid household mixing and stay Covid safe even during floods, according to emergency plans from the council.
Leeds City Council has confirmed to the Yorkshire Evening Post that it has put flooding contingency plans in place which also takes into account Covid restrictions and safety.
The authority says that, rather than put up flooding evacuees in the Town Hall or some such public space together, as could have been the case in pre-coronavirus times, those forced to leave their homes could be given hotels.
Teams helping people with flood preparation have also been working in bubbles to reduce Covid risk, and a Covid-secure incident room has been opened.
Of course, the plans are worst case contingency - nobody has been evacuated yet but three days of rain have been forecast in Leeds and several warnings are in place across the city.
On Wednesday morning, the first localised flooding was spotted in parts of Otley.
A spokesperson for Leeds Council said: "Despite the pandemic we remain well placed to respond to flooding and have been proactively messaging the public, businesses and organisations with advice and support.
"Council teams will continue to focus on managing and protecting our buildings and key sites. Resources and plans for this have been put in place to work within the latest Covid guidance, including teams working in bubbles and a Covid secure incident room has been opened.
"If flooding does occur and affects communities we do have plans to support people who need to leave their homes at rest centres.
"However, to maintain the highest levels of safety for those affected they might need to consider using hotels to avoid mixing with people outside of their bubble, rather than coming to rest centres or staying with family members.
"This will be a difficult time for those affected and we will be providing help and support where we can. Flood risk duty teams remain on shift throughout the week to monitor river levels and respond if required.”