Five years ago next week, York and other communities across North and East Yorkshire suffered some of their worst ever flooding. Mike Laycock looks back at the disaster, examines what has been done to prevent it happening again - and looks at what might lie ahead.

NOAH would have felt at home in North Yorkshire in autumn 2000. More than 250 millimetres of rain cascaded from the sky in two weeks - as much as the area would normally get in the whole of October and November.

As a result, more than 1,600 properties across the region were flooded, as rivers such as the Ouse and Derwent reached record levels and burst their banks.

Householders and businesses suffered months of heartache and misery as they battled to clear up the mess and make their premises habitable again. It could have been much worse: no one died and an estimated 20,000 properties were protected by Environment Agency defences.

In York, while communities including Rawcliffe, Bishopthorpe, Fulford, Clementhorpe and Naburn were badly hit, huge swathes of the city, including the Leeman Road area, Marygate and homes alongside the River Foss, were protected by defences built after the floods of 1982.

In October 2000, the Evening Press had launched a campaign for Ryedale and Stamford Bridge to be given similar protection from the River Derwent.

When Prime Minister Tony Blair visited York to inspect the Foss Barrier and pumping station during the floods, I presented him with a dossier outlining the desperate need of Malton, Old Malton, Norton, Pickering and Stamford Bridge for defences.

Those communities have since won protection, apart from Pickering, where defences are not considered sufficiently cost-beneficial.

One might have thought that since autumn 2000, everyone has been aware of the risks from flooding. But the agency, which is launching a hard-hitting flood awareness campaign next week to coincide with the fifth anniversary, has conducted a survey showing a disturbing complacency.

The research indicates that one third of people in flood risk areas have not checked whether their buildings and contents insurance covers flood damage.

Only seven per cent said they had found out how to receive a flood warning, while 42 per cent admitted they would not know what to do in a flood.

"There is a tendency for people to think 'It will never happen to me'," said flood risk manager Peter Holmes. "The fact is, it could - we just don't know when. People in Yorkshire cannot afford to ignore the risks.

"While we can reduce the effects of floods through awareness, education and investment in flood defences, we can never prevent them. That is why we are urging people to try to reduce the massive financial and emotional costs of flooding. So the message is, be prepared for flooding."

The agency says that because of climate change, extreme weather events will become more frequent and more dangerous in future, although it dismisses recent suggestions by a York university professor that the city could become uninhabitable within 30 years unless action is taken to tackle global warming.

How York and other communities along the Ouse are set to be protected in the 21st century is due to be revealed by the agency next month, when a flood risk management strategy is published.

It seems likely that this will focus as much on measures upstream of York - up in the Pennines where the floodwaters originate - as on improvements to defences in the city.

It is likely to look at making changes in land use, preventing inappropriate development in the flood plains and encouraging residents to take effective action to protect themselves.

But what about the coming winter? Are we at risk of a repeat of autumn 2000? It seems there might be a bigger risk of a repeat of January 1982, when flooding was caused by heavy snow in the Pennines melting rapidly.

The Met Office has warned that Britain may suffer its coldest winter for at least a decade. But the agency says that if this prediction proves correct, it might only cause a problem if the cold weather is also wet - causing heavy snowfall in the hills.

"Flood water destroys everything in its path, leaving a thick, filthy sludge"

IN March 1999, I came back to my home in Norton to find my husband Howard on his hands and knees, trying to stem the tide as floodwaters seeped through the floor and skirting boards.

It was a losing battle - it just kept coming. Then the electricity went out and we spent an uncomfortable night upstairs, dreading what sort of mess we would face next day.

At the bottom of the stairs in the morning, I stepped into two feet of freezing cold water and we decided to evacuate the family. Our three daughters were despatched to their grandparents in Hull, while we tried to cope with the devastation left behind.

Unless you have seen the aftermath of flood waters in your own home, it is difficult to describe how bad it is - it destroys everything in its path, leaving it coated in a thick, filthy sludge.

In a matter of hours, the home you have put so much time, care and effort into is destroyed. Then you face months of battling with loss adjusters, insurance companies and builders until it is finally habitable again.

We finally returned home after ten months - only to be flooded again in the storms of autumn 2000.

Second time around it was far worse. The water level was higher and it was in the house for two weeks, and also contained raw sewage and oil.

After the first flood, we had set up an action group to campaign for flood defences for Malton and Norton.

The 2000 event strengthened our resolve. We lobbied the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee and Government.

A coach full of local people who had been flooded even went to Westminster to attempt to sandbag No10 and meet with Floods Minister Elliot Morley.

After a long battle, work finally began on the Malton and Norton flood alleviation scheme in January 2002.

I became involved in the National Flood Forum, which was set up in Worcestershire by another action group to give a voice to flood-affected communities and individuals.

It offers independent advice and support and works closely with the agency, local authorities, water companies, insurance industry and government. I am now its communications director.

More recently, friends have accused me of becoming 'poacher turned gamekeeper' when I took up a job with the agency. But my experience helps in my role, because I know what a dreadful experience flooding is.

Part of my role is to make others aware of the risk of flooding and why we should all be prepared to face it in the future.

Flooding places a huge financial and emotional burden on those affected, but following Environment Agency guidelines, taking some steps to protect your home and personal belongings as much as possible, and having a plan to deal with a flood, can really help should the worst happen.

The Environment Agency says people should take three steps to prepare for flooding

1. Visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodline or call our 24 hour Floodline on 0845 988 1188 to find out if you are at risk of flooding

2. Find out if flood warnings are available in your area.

3. Make sure you understand the flood warning codes so you know what to do when a flood warning is issued

And if floods are imminent, people should:

Co-operate with emergency services and local authorities - you may be evacuated

Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies at the mains. Find out where these are well in advance of any flood

Put plugs into sinks and weigh them down with something heavy

Move sentimental items such as photographs upstairs and think about storing them more safely in future in case you forget or don't have time to move them during a flood

Move as many possessions upstairs as you can.

Updated: 10:29 Friday, October 28, 2005