How repeated flooding has shaped one family across generations

From Stories From Round Our Way by Round Our Way

May 15, 2025 · 17 min

About this episode

Alister Haywood shares her family's harrowing experiences with repeated flooding and its lasting psychological effects across generations.

In this story we hear from Alister Haywood, who shares her harrowing experience of living through three devastating floods - twice as a child, and again as a mother during the catastrophic 2007 floods in Hull. Alister recounts the vivid, terrifying moments when the waters rose, the windows shattered, and fire broke out in the chaos. She reflects on the lasting psychological toll the floods have taken - not just on her, but across generations of her family. From her father’s breakdown after losing decades of work, to her mother’s allergic reaction to water, to her own trauma and the impact on her children, Alister paints a picture of how climate disaster leaves marks far deeper than waterlines on a wall.

People in this episode

Guest: Alister Haywood

Topics covered

flooding
family trauma
climate disaster
psychological impact
generational effects

Keywords

flooding
psychological toll
climate change
family history
trauma
2007 floods
Hull

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Hull