| Jenna Meredith | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 28,1966 Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Former waitress |
| Children | Chevone Meredith and Jodie Louise Meredith |
Jenna Meredith (born 1966 or 1967) is a resident of Kingston upon Hull and a victim of flooding. She came to national attention in the wake of the 2007 United Kingdom floods for her outspoken and tough criticism of the government's slow response to bring aid and relief to area's affected and her unwavering efforts in drawing attention to the devastation caused by the flooding and the plight victims had suffered. At the time Hull was hit by the floods 30,000 people were made homeless and it was labelled the "forgotten city". Meredith became known as "the voice of Hull". [1] She is single mother of two daughters and has one grandchild.[2]
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The floods
In June and July, 2007 a series of severe floods, described as the worst in living memory since the 1947 floods, occurred throughout the United Kingdom causing massive property damage. The flooding affected thousands of businesses, thousands of homes and affected up to a million people. The damage caused by flood water was estimated to betrsch £2 billion [3]. Jenna was one of an estimated 35,000 people affected by flooding in Hull alone. All of her belongings were washed away or destroyed by the flood water. Her washing machine, dining table, cooker and fridge and other appliances were beyond repair and everything on the bottom floor of her house stank of damp drain sewage. In December, 2006 she stopped paying house insurance because of financial difficulties and as such had no means to replace her valuables. She has paid out £100 in emergency spending on new school shoes for her younger daugthter, cleaning materials for the kitchen pots, pans and crockery, as well as the daily disinfecting ritual in the downstairs rooms. She will be living in a temporary accommodation for the next year. [4] As national media descended on Hull Meredith decided to speak up for all those, who like herself, had lost everything in the flooding and who had nowhere to turn or were being ignored. After giving several interviews with newspapers, television crews and on Radio she was quickly thrust into the limelight and became widely known to those in the media. She was soon dubbed 'the voice of Hull' for her tough, determined and unwavering attitude, speaking up for flood victims and criticising the lack of help received from local councillors. She was particularly critical of Gordon Brown and the government’s suspected lack of aid being sent to help victims and demanded that action should be taken as quickly as possible to help relieve suffering. Her profile had become so prominent that she was able to meet with MP John Healey, whom she gave a dressing down to, "Where have you been? I thought you'd forgotten about us." [5]. She also met with other council officials as well as city MPs, drawing the attention of the nation's media. She also met and talked with former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom John Prescott.[6][7] On August 29, 2007 Meredith led a small protest with ten other people and several youngsters calling on council tenants for a "fair deal" and marched to Hull's guildhall. There, Meredith led a delegation with Hull Council's chief executive Kim Ryley and presented him with a petition signed by more than 150 people. She also urged the council to consider putting down cheap carpets in flooded homes so that people would not have to walk on concrete floors covered in exposed glue and nails after tiles were ripped up by flood water. She also expressed worries about a lack of communication that had devoloped between the council and residents and urged for strong ties to continue between the two. [8][9] Later on September 19, 2007 she gave her backing to the local newspaper Hull Daily Mail's campaign for competitive home insurance for regions hit by the recent flooding. Jenna supported this saying, "I think it's a brilliant idea. I hope it will make a difference. People have paid insurance companies for years and years and they're just asking for that back." [10]
Visit to India
During one interview on Radio, Meredith made a comparison of the plight facing flood victims as being similar to one's experienced by third world refugees. She said. I can't see any hope of replacing our possessions and making our home again. We're living like the refugees you see in a Third World country. This has been met with criticism from people in Third World Countries who claim she is much better off than them. The International aid agency Oxfam offered her the chance to travel to Orissa, a district in eastern India and witness the severe flooding that had affected the area. Meredith said she was privileged that she had been asked to go to and agreed responding, I have lost everything, but it's nothing compared with what they have lost. Our floods won't compare to their floods. Without a shadow of a doubt, it will be much worse there. It's going to have a huge impact on my life. [11] On August 2,2007, she made the trip to India and on August 3 she travelled to the affected areas in Orissa. Making comparisons with her own plight she said she felt lucky because she could buy food from a shop, whereas she had met people have lost the crops they grow, their only source of income and food.
Meredith was said to be particularly touched by one woman, Annapurna Beheri, whose small family-run shop that sold biscuits and tobacco had been destroyed in the floods. Meredith called Beheri incredible for how she had managed to cope in wake of the disaster. Meredith met with other flood victims and toured other villages in the stricken areas helping where she could. She returned to the UK on August 6. [12] She has since continued the campaign to get aid to those in need, but also to try to do whatever she can to reduce the effects of global warming. I can't walk away from this and I am determined to do whatever I can to help. I have had a life-changing experience and, while I don't know what the future holds, I'll do everything I can to make a difference. [13]
References
- INDIA NEEDS OUR HELP TOO. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- I cried when the floods came to Hull, but these people have nothing left. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- Yorkshirepost article. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
