The total repair bill for Calderdale which was devastated by the Boxing Day floods is expected to top £50m.
The council is in talks with the Government to try and get more cash help and has already started giving financial aid to both home and business owners.
Calderdale Council has paid out more than £½m to help people whose homes were left badly damaged and it has also helped stricken businesses to the tune of £1m.
It can now be revealed that the floods affected an estimated 2,781 homes and 1,635 businesses along with roads and bridges such as Elland bridge which will cost £5m to repair and is not expected to reopen until December this year.
Calderdale Council leader Clr Tim Swift said: “The impacts are extensive and widespread and will be felt for a long time to come. The total cost to the council will not be known for some time, but from initial estimates it’s likely to exceed £50 million. To help us cover this amid already decreasing budgets and to make sure residents and businesses can return to normal as soon as possible we continue to seek further support from the government and the Leeds City Region.
“Since Boxing Day we have paid out 1,082 grants to households at a cost of £541,000; approved business grants worth over £1 million in total; inspected well over 100 bridges to make sure they’re safe to travel on and to assess any damage; bought 160 dehumidifiers for residents and businesses to use; spent more than 3,000 hours removing debris and collected over 320 tonnes of waste.
“Throughout this really difficult time Calderdale’s amazing community spirit continues to shine through. I’m so impressed with how volunteers, community groups, businesses, the council and other organisations are working relentlessly and pulling together to get the borough back on its feet. I’d like to say a heartfelt thanks to everyone involved.”
