After Storm Eowyn tore off her roof, a Lanarkshire carer and her son are homeless. Despite the damage and council flats available, help is denied.
Patrizia lived there with her young son, Laurence. They had to leave because the water damage made it unsafe, with water pouring from the lights and walls. Big holes appeared in the ceiling. She even used a bin to catch water inside.
They had no heat or hot water, and electrical problems arose. The storm’s winds reached 100 mph on January 24th. The council won’t offer housing during repairs.
Since Patrizia rents the place privately, the council says it isn’t their problem. She is staying in her mom’s spare room and keeps her things in a plastic bag. Her son wears damp clothes to school.
She feels heartbroken by this and can’t stop crying. She hasn’t seen her flat but knows the bad weather made it worse. Buckets overflow with ceiling water, and the boiler cupboard ceiling it gone.
The council still expects her to live there. Her landlord and she begged for roof repairs. Scaffolding problems delayed the damage assessment, and though it’s up, repair hasn’t started.
She empties buckets of dirty water often and explains that the flat reeks. Bins catch water in almost every room and water comes through outlets. She tried housing assistance departments, but they refuse help because she rents privately, even though it’s still a council building.
Her son, cat, and she are now homeless. The council doesn’t care, even though empty council flats exist in the building. She can’t stand living at the flat.
She’s always crying and anxious. No one asks about her well-being, and she fears for her mental health overall. This situation could break anyone.
The roof may get only a quick fix which removes her from the emergency list. A full repair could take forever, and another harsh storm worries her. She says the repair may be temporary, and they told her the damage was really bad. Despite that, she doesn’t feel important.
Her landlord tries his best, and insurance will cover the costs. She is annoyed by insurer delays since they need a waterproof seal first. The weather likely will delay it.
Other flats on the street look fine, while her roof is gone and ceilings have collapsed. The undamaged flats below belong to the council.
She needs the council to fix the roof soon. Also, she needs somewhere stable to live. Her mom gave them her spare room, so they live from a bag, and her son’s clothes are damp.
The roof made a loud crash, and she thought the water tank broke. She was upset someone filmed it, but no one offered any help at all. Her power went out with the storm. No TV, hot water, or gas existed.
They woke up cold and soaking wet. Water poured through the light switches, and it affected the smoke alarm. The damage worsened over time and affected her son’s bedroom, too. She seeks stability with heat and water. She needs just four walls and heat.
But no one listens to her now. Everyone rejects her request, she says, because she rents privately.
Craig Jardine, a council leader, spoke. He says Storm Eowyn damaged many roofs, and they are working to make them watertight. Permanent repairs happen after. Their team made temporary repairs to her roof. The permanent repair plan is getting finalized now, and the contractor will start the roof soon.
The landlord should offer temporary housing. It should align with building insurance policies. She can contact the housing team too. They can give advice if there isn’t housing, basically. They might start a homelessness application, also.
