Flood victims get RABI fast track

“The scenes witnessed in Cumbria and other parts of northern England this week, where a month’s rain fell in 24 hours and 55,000 homes were left without power, will have terrible consequences for months and years to come,” said Paul Burrows, chief executive of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), which helps farming people in financial difficulty and also offers support during disasters such as floods.

“Getting back on their feet will be a long and difficult process and many in the farming industry, already pushed to the brink by other pressures, will not know who to turn to. RABI is ready to support farmers who meet our criteria and need help immediately.

“We will also be working with other organisations and charities to help those in Cumbria and elsewhere recover from this disaster,” Mr Burrows stated.

He explained that RABI, which gives out around £2m annually in support, has fast-tracked its application process to make it easier and quicker for the charity to get money to eligible people, whether currently working in the agricultural industry, or retired from farming but still affected by the crisis.

“Farmers are resilient people but events such as this can quickly push someone to their limit. The impact on communities is huge. On a human level, many people have been forced to live upstairs without electricity, unable even to make a warm drink. For farming businesses, there are serious public health and animal welfare issues to contend with,” said Mr Burrows.

RABI is urging eligible people requiring help to call the charity’s Freephone confidential helpline 0808 2819490 or email RABI on Z3JhbnRzQHJhYmkub3JnLnVr. Those wanting to make a donation to RABI should visit: rabi.org.uk