Family is forced to flee home as floodwater ‘ruins’ flooring
A Portchester family was forced to evacuate its home after waking up to find rising water had “completely ruined” the flooring.
Mum-of-two Cat Heggarty had to take her sons, aged four and nine months respectively, to her mother’s house in Fareham in the middle of Monday night after her living space was “completely ruined” by the rising water.
The rental property, in Hamilton Road, was overcome by seawater which left the house’s carpets sodden and lino perishing. It came during a night of strong winds and high tides – thought to be the highest ever recorded in the area.
Cat told The News: “At about half past one, I got woken up by someone knocking on my door telling me to move my car – because the road was getting too bad for the cars to be on there. All of my neighbours were out and I was deciding whether to stay or not – and then it just kept on rising.
“It was coming through the front door, the back door, and it was coming through the floors. The carpet was completely ruined in the lounge and, in the kitchen, all the lino is coming up. I thought ‘I’m going to have to go to mum’s’.”
She added that the basement of her home is likely to be damaged more than the ground floor.
Cat inspected the property on Tuesday and added: “my house is completely ruined”.
Cat, who has lived at the address for two years, planned to stay with her brother on Tuesday night but doesn’t know when she’ll be able to return to her house.
She not yet know the financial extent of the damage and is currently awaiting more information from her letting agency.
*Firefighters rescued two people after they became trapped in their own vehicles by flood water.
Emergency personnel were deployed to Oakley Copse on Hayling Island at 9am on Tuesday. High tides had caused floodwater to spread across the streets.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) said: “Crews from Hayling Island and Cosham, equipped with water rescue gear, successfully assisted two adults who were trapped in their vehicles submerged under three feet of water.
The police have been notified about the incident.”