Picking up the pieces & heading towards a secure future

Almost a year ago, the Lake District experienced the perfect storm – relentless heavy rain combined with saturated ground and full rivers – resulting in unprecedented flooding. Thursday 19 November 2009 was the UK’s wettest day on record. Torrential rain falling on sodden ground lead to flooding of over 1,500 properties, 200 people being evacuated, six bridges collapsing and the tragic death of PC Bill Barker.

The one year anniversary of these devastating floods is an opportunity to look back, not only at what has been achieved to aid recovery since the floods, but also to look at what we have learned and, in looking to the future, what needs to be done to prepare ourselves for more extreme weather as a result of climate change.

Recovering from tradgedy
The work of the Environment Agency does not stop when the flood waters recede. The damage and devastation caused by the flooding in Cockermouth, Keswick, Workington, Ulverston, Eamont Bridge and Kendal has cost millions of pounds and will influence the local communities for many years to come.

The recovery has been a joint effort between the local community, Flood Action Groups, Cumbria County Council, the Highways Agency and the Environment Agency. Whilst the impacts of the flooding are still visible on the landscape, we’ve done a lot in the past year to help people recover and to help reduce the impact of any
future flooding.

The Environment Agency has worked hard to support the effort to get people back into their homes and businesses back on their feet. We assisted local authorities to give support and information to local people. We also worked with Natural England to contact over 150 farms affected by the flooding to advise on reinstatement and stabilisation works.

Local Flood Action Groups have been a valuable way of communicating with local people, helping us to understand their concerns and to help them consider ways to reduce the damage of future flooding. Before the 2009 floods 18 Flood Action Groups existed in the affected region – now the Environment Agency has identified 68 community groups that could work with us to prepare for any future flood events in Cumbria. Such community cohesion in the face of growing risk is vital as society comes to terms with the inevitable consequences of climate change.

Following the floods the Environment Agency quickly repaired and rebuilt flood defences damaged during the flooding to reinstate the level of flood protection that existed before the floods. However, we did not stop there.

Studying standards
We are undertaking a detailed study into the current standards of flood protection and the possible options to reduce future flood risk in Cockermouth. We have also worked in partnership with the Cockermouth Flood Action Group to devise a new flood defence scheme for the Gote Road area of the town. These defences will reduce flood risk to 42 homes. Preliminary works started 13 September following £50,000 funding from the Cumbrian Community Foundation which was secured by the Cockermouth Flood Action Group. The aim is to have the £500,000 scheme in place in time for this winter.

In Keswick, we have also completed a programme to strengthen existing flood defence walls in the High Hill area at a cost of approximately £700,000. The construction of the Thacka Beck flood alleviation scheme in Penrith is also progressing well and a month ahead of schedule with works due to be completed by the end of 2010.

The national picture
While the events in Cumbria last November were extreme, such flood risk is not confined to the Lake District, as we have seen in recent years. A study in 2009 showed that one in six homes in England is at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, or from surface water where drains can’t cope with severe rainfall.

In England 2.4 million properties are currently at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea – 490,000 of which have a significant chance of flooding. An additional 2.8 million properties are currently at risk of flooding from
surface water.

It is not just homes that are under threat from flooding, but also crucial public infrastructure. 55 per cent of water treatment works and pumping stations, 14 per cent of electricity infrastructure, 2,400 schools and 2,400 doctors’ surgeries in England are situated in flood risk areas, along with some 4,000 km
of roads and 2,500 km of railway.

The expected annual cost of damage to residential and commercial property from flooding in England, as well as the cost of further disruption, damage to infrastructure and loss of business, is estimated at some £2.5 billion.

Investing in flood defences
The Cumbrian floods further demonstrated the importance of flood prevention, warning and response.

Since summer 2007, the Environment Agency has completed 158 flood defence schemes, providing increased protection to over 128,000 properties. By 2015, planned flood defence schemes will reduce the flood risk for an additional 200,000 homes across England and Wales. Over the past ten years, more than 250,000 additional households have benefited from investment in new or improve defences.

During last year’s floods the effectiveness of flood defences was demonstrated by the nearly completed Carlisle flood alleviation scheme. Carlisle was worst hit during the January 2005 flooding in Cumbria – two people lost their lives, 78 were seriously injured and more than 1,800 properties were flooded.

Last November, the Carlisle flood defence scheme was 80 per cent complete. Contractors were taken off planned construction work and temporarily filled incomplete sections of the defence in readiness for the high river levels predicted. They also installed temporary pumps in the Little Caldew pumping station. These temporary measures held, with the peak river level coming within 50mm of the top of temporary defences. Flood waters remained some 550mm below the top of the new permanent defences through the city.

Had the Carlisle defence scheme not already been underway, 800 of the properties flooded in 2005 would have suffered again. The temporary defences erected by Environment Agency, contractors and local authority staff protected an additional 400 properties.

Now complete, the defences opened in June 2010, having been delivered a year ahead of schedule. The scheme has significantly reduced the risk of flooding in Carlisle and is designed to protect 1,940 homes and businesses.

Helping people prepare
Continued investment in flood defences is only part of the solution to reduce flood risk. Financial support needs to be complimented by increased cooperation between organisations and communities involved in flood prevention. A key finding of the Pitt Review into the summer 2007 floods was how much better all our preparations could be if every organisation involved in flood and coastal risk management properly understood their roles, that the public also had confidence in knowing who was responsible and that all concerned openly shared data.

One result of these proposals has been the establishment of the Flood Forecasting Centre, a joint initiative between the Environment Agency and the Met Office. This partnership approach ensures we are thoroughly prepared and enabled us to predict the Cumbrian floods four days before they hit. The Environment Agency is also embracing new technology in flood prediction and mapping.

With climate change bringing more intense and frequent flooding, better community understanding, greater financial support and increased cooperation between agencies will help ensure England and Wales are
better prepared.

Flood product test centre
In February 2010, the Environment Agency opened the first flood product test centre in the country. This cutting-edge simulator recreates the devastating effects of a flood in order to test products designed to defend homes and businesses from flooding. It features a replica living room inside a massive tank, about half the size of a football pitch.

Products which successfully pass a series of tests are accredited with the BSI Kitemark, giving householders and organisations greater confidence in flood products. The National Flood Forum’s ‘Blue Pages’ is an independent source of information on these products.

The Environment Agency also has a nationwide programme to raise awareness of flooding. Free flood warnings and information packs are available from our website.

The role of local authorities
On 8 April 2010 the Flood and Water Management Bill received Royal Assent making it an Act of Parliament. This was a very positive step towards updating ageing flood, coastal erosion and reservoir safety legislation, providing clarity on the roles and responsibilities for the Environment Agency, local authorities and others who manage flood and coastal risks in England and Wales.

Under the Act, the Environment Agency has a new duty to develop a National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England, which would apply to other operating authorities. We will report periodically to Parliament on the state of flood and coastal erosion risk management in England and have new powers to carry out, and raise local levies for, coastal erosion works.

There are also changes to our current flood and coastal risk management functions, for example we will continue to regulate through works directly impacting on flooding from main rivers and the sea. However, we will no longer undertake these functions on ordinary watercourses, with responsibility transferring to Lead Local
Flood Authorities.

Under the new legislation Lead Local Flood Authorities, unitary authorities or county councils, have a duty to develop, maintain, apply and act consistently with a local flood risk management strategy consistent with the National Strategy. Lead Local Authorities also have a responsibility to issue guidance relating to the application of the Strategy, investigate whether it is necessary and appropriate, and approve new sustainable drainage systems in its area.

The provisions of the Act will not reduce the risk of natural events that may give rise to flooding. However, it will improve the ability of emergency responders to plan ahead as well as respond and provide clearer roles and responsibilities for those who manage flooding.

These new legal developments, alongside ongoing work to prepare people for flooding and investment in flood defences, mark a significant shift in the way we manage flooding. In just one year, we have not only been working closely with people affected by flooding. We are working on all fronts to protect England and Wales from flooding and will continue to work closely with the government and local authorities to mitigate against the impact of
climate change.

For more information
Find out if you can sign up to our free flood warning service at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood or by calling the Environment Agency’s Floodline on 08459 881188.