On the December 26, 2015 Keri Muldoon's home was destroyed.
The mother-of-two was a victim of the dramatic Boxing Day floods that devastated Salford.
The city was experiencing heavy rain which caused the River Irwell to burst its banks and flood 400 homes in the Lower Broughton and Kersal areas.
READ MORE: The little miracle on Portland Street this Christmas Day
Keri and her two children - aged five and 11 at the time - had been at her mum’s house in Higher Broughton when the floods struck.
Her phone had been off all day and she was unaware that friends and family had been calling her to tell her that her home was hit by the floods.
It wasn’t until she was stopped by police and told she had to walk her way up to her home when she realised something was wrong.
Even though she was trudging through murky flood water to get to her house, Keri said she still couldn't come to terms with what was happening.
"I thought my house hadn’t been flooded, even though I was walking in the water and people had told me it was flooded," she said.
“I couldn’t believe it.
“I got to the garden gate and I was still telling my neighbours my house would be alright, even when I got to the front door which I couldn’t open because of the force of the water.
“I looked through the letterbox and it was like looking out to sea through my letterbox, my house was full of water.”
Keri said nobody saw the floods coming despite living so close to the River Irwell.
All her personal belongings downstairs were gone, the family’s Christmas was ruined before they had a chance to celebrate it and all they had left were the clothes on their back and items upstairs.
She told the Manchester Evening News: “We usually exchange presents on Boxing Day, so I never got the chance to do that.
“That morning I never envisaged a flood, even though the river was as high as it was, 1946 was the last time the river had flooded, I wasn’t even born then.
“Christmas wasn’t even a thought at that point, it was more of a shock about everything that had happened.
“My house was black, it stunk. People had fishes in their homes, it was all sorts.
“We lost everything.
“We had to get your carpets taken out. Fridges, cookers, washers, gardening equipment, kids' shoes, all we had left were our clothes and our beds which where upstairs.
“There was no presents left, there was no Christmas left.”
The water eventually receded in the early hours of the next morning and then the mammoth clean-up operation began.
Almost 300 Salix Homes properties were flooded across the Spike Island and Riverside estates.
Salix Homes officers joined an army of volunteers and other agencies to support the clean-up and recovery operation over the following days, weeks and months.
Keri said: “The aftermath was the worst.
“Not a lot of people had insurance because you don’t expect flooding to happen.
"Round here you get insurance for theft or burglary, not flooding.
“I’ve lived near the river all my life and never thought of it.
“We went to a community store down the road and they let us come down with a van and gave everyone washing machines, cookers, sofas and bits of carpets, the community came together amazingly."
Since the floods, Keri has become a flooding expert and activist in her community.
Determined to make sure the devastation of the floods never happens again, she’s chair of the 1,500-member Broughton Flood Group, sharing flood alerts and information with the wider community, and also sits on Salford Council’s Flood Forum.
Keri says she was motivated to make sure there was never a repeat of the Boxing Day floods after seeing her heartbroken neighbours dump mountains of water damaged furniture on their lawns in the aftermath.
“Because I’m alright in myself I could see other people weren’t," she said.
“I saw big piles of my neighbour's furniture outside, papers, photos, cupboards, it broke their hearts.
“It never bothered me then, but when I think about it six years later, I get emotional.
“I’m a fighter against the floods now. I work closely with the Environment Agency and Salford Council and other groups and agencies.
"I’ve had to learn so much about flooding and river levels to try and keep the community safe. I’m always alert to it now and I’m constantly looking at the river – it does take over your life.”
Six years on from that fateful night, Keri Muldoon has been reflecting on the tragedy which saw her home on Gordon Street, Lower Broughton, devastated by flood water.
While she says she is ‘fine’ having buried herself into her work as a campaigner, she says she still sees the mental health effects that the flood had on people in her community.
She told the MEN: “I could move but then I’m leaving everyone here to face that fight on their own.
“I don’t have a life any more, I’m just here for my kids and everyone else, I don’t need anything.
“It affects a lot of people very seriously still, I have people calling me up crying every time the levels get high.
“Because they live near the river they can see it out their window, and once they start getting alerts they panic.
“Once that river gets to a certain height I have to go and check it out every 20 minutes.
“I get a least 200 messages a day, and I’ve got to watch what goes on social media because if anybody puts anything false that makes people panic more.
“But it’s not a lot of pressure, its turned into a job, I’m like a councillor.”
Substantial flood defences have been implemented since the events of Boxing Day 2015, including the Environment Agency’s £10million Salford Flood Improvement Scheme.
The flood scheme has seen the creation of a flood storage basin and wetlands area on the site of the old Manchester Racecourse in Kersal, which aims to protect 2,000 homes and businesses in Lower Broughton and Lower Kersal.
Salix Homes also carried out a major programme of repairs to affected properties, which also included additional flood prevention measures such as waterproof treatment to external walls.
Keri says she’s confident that the measures in place will keep the community safe.
She added: “There are people who are still worrying about it happening again, especially with reports that we’re going to have a wet winter, but the wetlands is working as it should. We have had periods of intense rain since, so it must be doing its job.”
Sue Sutton, chief executive at Salix Homes, added: “It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since the Boxing Day floods, which will go down in Salford’s history for the heartache and destruction it brought to hundreds of people in our city. I was there when the Irwell broke its banks and it was truly devastating.
“But amid all the distress and chaos, the Salford community came together in a way only Salfordians can and that will never be forgotten. It was awe-inspiring to see the community, local charities, organisations and businesses join forces to support the flood victims in their hour of need.
“We’ve worked really closely with the community since then, undertaking a huge repairs programme to the affected homes, providing support to residents and helping Keri, and other community heroes like her, continue with the amazing work they have been doing.”
