What is FRM?
The 2007 floods
Over 2 million properties in England and Wales are at risk from flooding. Changes in our climate, such as more severe storms and wetter winters, will increase that risk. The floods experienced in summer 2007 were the most devastating to hit the UK in the last 50 years. They followed the wettest May to July period since records began in 1766. 13 people lost their lives. 55,300 properties and 7,100 businesses were flooded at an estimated value of property damage at over £3 bn. To put this in context the insurance industry estimate this is 8 times the combined cost of damage from the floods in Boscastle (2004) and Carlisle (2005). During the previous largest event in 2000 the number of properties flooded was 10,000 and the damage £1bn.
The floods differed from previous events in other ways. Firstly they emphasised the vulnerability of our infrastructure. 350,000 people were left without mains water supply for up to 17 days, 42,000 people were without power in Gloucestershire for up to 24 hours and some 10,000 people were trapped on the M5 motorway. The floods were within centimetres of knocking out power supply to a further half-a-million people.
Secondly the floods were unusual because of the amount of damage due to surface water flooding or a combination of surface water and river flooding rather than just river or coastal flooding. Surface water flooding was identified as a major component, particularly in the Hull and Sheffield areas.
What is flood risk management?
Flooding can occur from a number of sources - from rivers and the sea but also from sewers and drains becoming blocked or unable to cope with the excess water trying to drain into them. Flooding can also be caused by rising groundwater and/or excess rainwater collecting on the ground and flowing overland. Vulnerable properties are usually low-lying but can also be located on slopes if there is a risk of runoff from land above them.
Flood risk is expressed as a combination of the likelihood of a flood happening and the consequences that will result if the flood occurs (flood damage, social disruption etc). Flood risk can never be completely removed in vulnerable areas but it can be minimised through good flood risk management.
Flood risk management involves reducing the probability of flooding through the management of land, river systems, and flood and coastal defences. The consequences of flooding (i.e. the damage floods can do) can also be reduced through more effective land use planning, the provision of more flood resilient properties and infrastructure and putting in place effective flood warning and emergency responses
The way forward
A number of key reports on the 2007 floods have been produced e.g. by the water and insurance industries (our links page provides a number of useful references). The Pitt Review has set out the lessons learned from the 2007 floods and will act as a blueprint for changes that need to be made. The government is due to respond to this shortly but a number of clear directions have already emerged, suggesting that the way we will have to live with floods in the future is entering a new phase.
- Flood management will involve all of us;
- Organisations and the public need to work together in a more open culture of sharing information on flood risk;
- There is a need for stronger leadership and clearer responsibilities as to who is responsible for what, particularly in surface water management;
The Pitt Review has made 92 recommendations. In particular there is a call for
- a long-term strategic approach to flood management and flood management spending;
- better communication of flood risk to the public through flood warning and information;
- resilience to be built into critical services and transport infrastructure;
- better preparedness for and co-ordination of emergency response;
- recognition of the length, disruption, cost and human misery during the recovery from floods and a call for better support.
In addition the range of flood management responses will need to be much wider and more mixed involving local flood resilience in homes and businesses as well as larger flood schemes. It is clear that flood management in the 21st century will call for far greater community involvement, communication of flood risk and expertise from a much broader range of professionals. Through our wide range of environmental and engineering professionals Entec is well placed to meet this challenge.
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