The Lack of Preparation Problem

In the previous section there was reference to a survey conducted by the EA, which found that only 5% of people who receive flood warnings actually take any action in advance to reduce the impact of flooding.

Much effort has been put into helping the public with information about how to prepare for and deal with floods. Both the Environment Agency and SEPA have been active in this area. However this assistance is a relatively recent development. During the serious floods at Easter 1998 in England, the only advice available seemed to be from press and radio advertisements issued by insurance companies, particularly General Accident, which published full page "cut out and keep" advice (prepared by the author) in local newspapers in affected areas. (Some general advice for flood victims is contained in Appendix 4.)

In 2001, CIRIA published useful advice on its Website ( www.ciria.org.uk ), and in February 2002, DTLR, now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), published a report called "Preparing for Floods" to give advice to the public on how to deal with flood events.

The report was co-funded by the Scottish Executive, the ABI, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in England , and others. It is available on the Internet or in book form by telephoning Floodline (0845 988 1188).

While it contains much useful advice, there is certainly room for improvement:

• Though it was part funded by the ABI, there is no reference to the ABI supported National Flood Insurance Claims Database, (The "Dundee Tables" ). These tables contain detailed information from thousands of flood claims thanks to access agreements negotiated by the ABI with the top 25 insurers in the country, and would have been of considerable assistance to the authors of the report. It is to be hoped that they will be taken into account in any follow up work. (The author has offered data from these tables to the consultants who produced the report, and has given a copy of the data analysis tables to the relevant government department.)
  
  
• Despite the many excellent similar publications available from the USA , this new report only refers to one USA publication, produced back in 1995, and there is no mention of the recent pioneering "Fortified for safer living" initiative of the Institute of Business and Home Safety in the USA.
  
  
• It is to be hoped that in future revisions the opportunity will be taken to consult with experienced loss adjusters and insurers to tap into their knowledge.
  
  
• It contains a basic checklist of action to take in the event of a flood, but it is a pity that it does not contain any advice about the importance of putting sandbags in the toilet and the bath, one of the most common sources of water entering the house.

Modern property with cavity walls can be particularly vulnerable to structural damage from the weight of water pressing from the outside. There is the added problem of cavity wall insulation, which can become saturated with water and is hard to dry out. Cavity walls only became fashionable because they help to reduce damp penetration from windblown rain. The cavity gives little protection against flood seepage. There is a case for filling in the cavity with cement in order to give the walls more strength, but while this would increase the structural strength it could increase the drying out time unless the wall is properly waterproofed. Further research is needed. (For more information on resilient construction, see Appendix 5.)

There have been questions raised about whether the authorities themselves are properly prepared for floods. In the Autumn 2000 floods in Lewes, the ambulance and fire depots and their control rooms were amongst the first buildings to be flooded and cut off by flood water. In the 1993 floods in Perth , the main emergency control centre was in a basement beside the river.

So it is clear that preparation and scenario planning is an important issue for the authorities. This is particularly important in situations where there a flash flood, mud slide, or landslip could put lives at risk. In such cases, careful monitoring of hillsides using satellite transponders should be used to check for stability, drainage ditches should be constructed or repaired, and planners should avoid allowing new buildings to be located in exposed areas.

Flash floods and landslides are considered in the next two sections. This is followed by a section on rising groundwater.

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