Residents evacuated due to flooding - Gateshead Council

The client

Gateshead Council is the local government authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The council is made up of 22 electoral wards, they also own and are responsible for the day-to-day management of nearly 20,000 homes.

The challenge

In March 2021, CMAC was called upon by Gateshead Council to safely transport and provide temporary accommodation for 120 residents who had to be evacuated from their tower block due to severe flooding following a utilities failure on an upper floor.

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The solution

CMAC delivered a single source solution that provided on demand, reliable transportation and accommodation to support Gateshead Council’s operations.

CMAC responded immediately to the request, calling upon their unrivalled network of transport and accommodation suppliers to deliver a suitable emergency relocation strategy.

Drawing on their extensive experience in handling such events, CMAC’s team quickly allocated appropriate rooms for all the residents in a nearby hotel. As the local authority triaged evacuees due to COVID considerations, three coaches were dispatched to the scene to transport the residents from the affected area to the reception centres. A further three coaches were then dispatched to take residents to their hotel after registration had been completed.

Catering arrangements were also provided in addition to the transport and accommodation for the duration of residents’ stay at the hotel.

The residents were accommodated in the hotel for several weeks as CMAC and Gateshead Council devised a staggered approach for their return, as flood repairs and electrical safety checks were completed on their homes.