Meet Mary, the woman behind flood-proof homes

It was Flood Mary's first time in Rutland on Friday, when she gave out advice following heavy downpours back in January

When her home was hit by torrential rain in October 2000, Mary decided it was time to take matters into her own hands.

It was not the first time her home in Worcester had flooded, but seeing other neighbours' toilet paper and condoms floating through her house was a sight she would never forget.

Mary Long-Dhonau - better known as "Flood Mary" - has since been devoting her time to research ways to make homes flood-proof.

Coming to Rutland for the first time after heavy downpours earlier this year, the flood resilience campaigner said: "Flooding can often break people - I decided I was going to be that advisor and support. And I've been doing that for the last 25 years."

The 59-year-old said waking up to a thigh-deep flooded home was the point that sparked a "lightbulb moment".

'Toilet paper floating'

"It was then called the Great Floods of 2000 and it had been raining for a very, very long time and the ground just became so saturated, and obviously the drains became overloaded that all the houses in my street just got flooded," said Mary.

Her autistic son, then a baby, had woken in the middle of the night, so she sent her husband downstairs to check if their house had flooded again while she tried to put her child back to sleep.

But when her husband did not come back, Mary joined him downstairs.

"It was devastating," she recalled. "That was one thing to this day that I remember - the other people's toilet paper floating about in the house."

Not only did the flood cause damage to Mary's beloved home, but also washed away memories, such as her children's handprints, hospital memorabilia and nursery paintings.

"I was just so upset because I wasn't prepared for it, and I lost so much," she added.

"And whilst you can replace a carpet or your sofa, you can't replace your memories. And that's why I'm so passionate about people preparing for flood."

That is how Mary's battle against flooding started.

The campaigner said everyone called her "Flood Mary" now, even her husband "when he's tired"

From waterproof plaster on the walls to ceramic tiles on the floor, the avid campaigner said she managed to make her home "flood recoverable".

Next time they were hit by heavy rain, they only had puddles instead of being submerged in water thigh-deep.

"And that was basically my lightbulb moment," Mary continued. "When I thought 'right, what else can people do to better protect their home from being flooded?'

"So [people] can then stay in their home rather than being out of their home for nine months."

Flood Mary's top tips

Flood Mary has shared her top tips for keeping dry amid heavy rain.

• Know your flood risk and sign up for a flood alert from the Environment Agency

• Have a flood to-do list - so you know exactly what you are going to do

• Move your car

• Move your personal belongings away - including items of sentimental value - and place them in plastic boxes upstairs. If you live in a bungalow, ask a friend to store them for you

• There are ways to protect your furniture. Mary dresses her kitchen table legs in wellington boots, a plastic bucket, and a bin, then places a plastic box on top

Mary, who currently lives in Herefordshire, said she had "lived" in the East Midlands for the past couple of months, travelling across the region to educate people about flooding.

Back in January, a major incident was declared due to widespread flooding across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and a severe, danger-to-life warning was in place at caravan parks on the River Soar.

Mary added: "Since the floods in January, the Environment Agency and the local authorities have invited me to numerous places in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Rutland just to show people what they can do to better protect their property.

"There's so much that can be done."

Extra gully cleansing and checking had taken place after recent flooding, Christine Wise said

County councillor Christine Wise, who was also present at a flood prevention event alongside Mary and the Environment Agency, added: "The event is in response to several floods we had here in Rutland in recent times. We can't do anything to prevent flooding - we have no control over how much rain falls - how hard and how much.

"But what we can do is better prepare our own assets as a council and help residents prepare their property to better withstand any flooding events.

"The council has done extra gully cleansing and checking. We are getting a better sense of which ones block with debris, so they have to have increased maintenance over others that happen to run clear virtually all the time."