Tornado Residents

Sparkbrook District Tornado Bulletin No. 7
23rd August 2005

TORNADO INFORMATION CENTRE
The Tornado Information Centre still continues to be situated at the junction of Newport Road and Ladypool Road, this service will also be provided over the August Bank Holiday weekend, and will be open as follows:

Saturday, 27th August 2005 10am – 4pm
Tuesday, 30th August 2005 10am – 4pm

Please note: The Tornado Information Centre will not be open on the following days:

Sunday, 28th August 2005 or
Monday, 29th August 2005 as it is Bank Holiday.

TORNADO ADVICE LINE
This service is still in operation – please phone the Council on 0800 073 0440 (free phone).

HEALTH
The City Council’s Social Care and Health Division has arranged for a series of counselling sessions for residents who have been affected by the trauma of the tornado. The AXIS Community Project will be running these sessions entitled ‘Unwind & Open Up’ at the Ashiana Community Project, at 23 Grantham Road, Sparkbrook on the following dates:

Wednesday, 14th September 2005
Wednesday, 21st September 2005

Both these sessions will be held between 10am and 1pm and will offer an opportunity for women to meet together, unwind and share experiences of the last few weeks – either individually or in groups.

There will also be opportunities for a relaxing back massage, head massage and relaxation -
Free of charge. Qualified therapists will also be on duty on both dates. There will also be a qualified counsellor on duty for confidential counselling work. Loose clothing is recommended to be worn by those residents using the AXIS service.

Sessions can also be provided through local networks or on specific days, if there is a need.
For more information about this service, please phone on 464 4133.

EDUCATION

Work is in hand to ensure that all LEA schools are operational for the start of the new school term and no pupil is excluded from any LEA school because of the aftermath of the Tornado.

PROSPERITY

Loans for the Uninsured
There have been ongoing discussions over the last three weeks about the provision of loans to homeowners in order to make their properties habitable following storm-damage, and it had been decided that loans will be offered to those uninsured householders.

Loans via the Council will be possible and householders will be made aware that the loans will become a legal charge on the property and should the householder sell their property, the outstanding loan will be recovered on sale.

More details about the loans and terms are available from the Homeworks Team based at Greencoat House – they can be contacted on 303 2645 or 303 6321 for more information.

Birmingham and Solihull Chamber of Commerce and Industry has sent a letter highlighting the needs of local businesses in the aftermath of the tornado to the Prime Minister the Rt Honorable Tony Blair, MP on 22 August 2005.

ENVIRONMENT & SECURITY (CLEAN & SAFE)

Damaged Vehicles on Ladypool Road

The Fleet & Waste Management has arranged for contractors, West Midlands Salvage, to remove all the damaged and abandoned vehicles from the compound, which have been left since the Tornado on Thursday, 28 July 2005. This operation is to commence week beginning 22 August 2005.

West Midlands Salvage will obtain details of the registered keepers from the DVLA and write to them indicating that their vehicle will be stored for a maximum of 21 days. If the vehicles are not reclaimed within that period they will be “de-polluted” and disposed or crushed. Any vehicles without a registered keeper will be immediately disposed of.

There is a storage fee of £5.00 per vehicle per day and a removal fee of £25.00 per vehicle.

Road Closures/Cordon
As from Thursday 25 August 2005 cordons/wardens are to stand down.
Security will still maintain a 24 hour patrols presence in the area and there will be the normal level of policing presence in the area.

Removal of Portakabins/information Centre
The Tornado Information centre will be removed on Sunday 11 September 2005. The Development Directorate has organised this with the contractors and the services are to be disconnected. The final use of these portakabins will be Friday 9 September 2005. The new Tornado Centre will be set up in the Southside Business Centre.