HOT TOPICS

THE SUMMER OF STORM

David Rooke* discusses the impact of the summer's floods.

This summer brought significant flooding across much of England and Wales.  The floods and their impact on thousands of people have raised unprecedented public and Government interest in the issue and, therefore, unprecedented demand for solutions to be found.

Although impact of the floods was very serious, it could have been much worse. The Environment Agency's holistic approach to flood risk management reduced the severity and consequence in many places. Its responsibilities cover a wealth of activities, including mapping flood risk, advising planning authorities on development proposals, building and maintaining defences, interpreting weather information, issuing flood warnings and working with others, both in response to incidents and in aftercare and recovery. 

Environment Agency staff worked extremely hard during the summer floods, along with the emergency services, local authorities, the military and others. They were very effective, but we cannot be complacent as the floods raise a number of issues.  In July, the Environment Agency launched its 'lessons learned' review of the summer floods, to identify key issues requiring either immediate or long-term attention. This will complement the Government-commissioned review of the floods led by Sir Michael Pitt.

Much of what can be done to reduce the risk and impacts of flooding in the future is already being done by the Environment Agency and other operating authorities, including making allowances for the effects of climate change. The Environment Agency alone manages many thousands of structures and defences at an annual cost of £350 million and implements other solutions to managing flood risk, such as the use of flood storage areas and managed realignment of existing defences on the coast and inland. It has recently been given a strategic overview of all flood and coastal erosion risk management to complement its role where river and sea flooding is concerned.  Consideration is being given to how this role might be extended to cover all types of flooding. This summer's floods are a timely reminder of the issues surrounding urban flooding and sustainable drainage systems, highlighted in Defra's strategy 'Making Space for Water'. The Environment Agency is leading on four of the 15 pilot studies.

We can all remember the pictures of property flooding and one of the ways to minimise the effects of future floods is to prevent inappropriate development in flood plains. Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS 25) on development and flood risk is the main tool to enable this to be achieved. The Environment Agency played a major part in its production and continues to advise planning authorities on the implications of planned development on local flood risk. It is also working with owners and operators of critical infrastructure located in flood risk areas to help them re-assess their flood resilience plans, taking into account the most up-to-date mapping and risk assessment data so as to protect their assets and ensure business continuity.

In June this year the Secretary of State for the Environment announced that Government funding for flood risk management in England would increase from £600 million to £800 million annually by 2010-11.  That increased investment is welcomed and we must plan now and prioritise work to ensure continued value- for-money in flood risk management.

One of the key challenges is to raise people's awareness about the risks of flooding, the warning schemes available and what they can do to help themselves and others to mitigate against flood damage. There are a number of small but significant actions that individuals can take to help protect themselves and their property. Currently, only around 30 percent of those who can receive the Environment Agency's free flood warning service choose to do so.  Receiving warnings about the possibility of floods can give people crucial extra time to move valuables and furniture, so that recovery after a flood is quicker. There is also a wealth of advice, available freely, about making homes and businesses more resilient to floods.

We also need to involve local residents in planning how to manage floods. Learning from the knowledge they have about local conditions and including them in a meaningful way ensures that the chosen solution really works for the community.  Those living on the waterfront or coast may not want a wall or embankment to spoil their view. But, they may consider and opt for alternatives, such as using recreational areas in parks or commons for flood storage, using flood barriers for individual houses, or demountable defences which can be erected when a flood warning is issued.

Professional institutions such as CIWEM also have a part to play by influencing Government and European policy, and in sharing experience amongst practitioners.

We can never stop flooding but we can reduce its risks and impacts.  To that end we must all continue to work with partners and communities, to build and maintain relationships, and together protect people and businesses from the misery that flooding brings.

* David Rooke is Head of Flood Risk Management at the Environment Agency and President of CIWEM.