2.3 supporting and representing flood risk communities (p.cobbing)
TRANSCRIPT
Supporting & Representing Flood Risk Communities
Paul Cobbing
1. The impacts of living in a flood risk area
2. The NFF
3. Working holistically and in partnership is the key to mitigating flood risk
Reactions
• Nobody wanted to know, they all said it was somebody else’s water
• There was a feeling of utter helplessness
• When you have watched in disbelief water coming into your house, it’s always at the back of your mind.
• Some days I’ve just sat in here and just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed
The result
• Trauma
• Incredibly high stress levels
• Illness
• Anger
• Frustration
• Fear
• Loss of faith in those that manage the risk
• Resignation that nothing will happen to improve the situation
• Apathy to help those that manage the risk
• Contentious communities
Wider social impacts
Flood risk in England and Wales
England at risk of flooding from different sources
Year
Estimated properties at risk by source
Total Rivers and
Sea Surface Water
Groundwater Reservoir
Failure
2001 1,724,225 0 0 0 1,724,225
2004
2009
2011
England at risk of flooding from different sources
Year
Estimated properties at risk by source
Total Rivers and
Sea Surface Water
Groundwater Reservoir
Failure
2001 1,724,225 0 0 0 1,724,225
2004 1,740,000 80,000 1,700,000 0 3,420,000
2009
2011
England at risk of flooding from different sources
Year
Estimated properties at risk by source
Total Rivers and
Sea Surface Water
Groundwater Reservoir
Failure
2001 1,724,225 0 0 0 1,724,225
2004 1,740,000 80,000 1,700,000 0 3,420,000
2009 2,400,000 3,800,000 1,700,000 0 6,800,000
2011
England at risk of flooding from different sources
Year
Estimated properties at risk by source
Total Rivers and
Sea Surface Water
Groundwater Reservoir
Failure
2001 1,724,225 0 0 0 1,724,225
2004 1,740,000 80,000 1,700,000 0 3,420,000
2009 2,400,000 3,800,000 1,700,000 0 6,800,000
2011 2,400,000 3,800,000 1,700,000 1,100,000 7,900,000
Communities that are prepared for flooding suffer much less
• Found out if their home is at risk from flooding
• Thought through / prepared a flood plan
• Signed up for Flood Warnings Direct
• Bought and installed flood protection products
• Joined a community group
• A national charity
• 13 employees
• Well in excess of 200 affiliated
groups
Who are we?
• Help people to prepare for flooding
• Help them to recover their lives after flooding
• Campaign and work to put flood risk communities at the
centre of policy making and operational delivery
What we do...
• Independent
• We empower people and
communities affected by flooding to
work effectively with partners
• We work in the spaces that others
can’t fill
Why we are different The philosophy
Working with communities
Citizen Control
Delegated Power
Partnership/ co-production
Placation
Consultation
Informing
Therapy
Manipulation
So what do we do?
Where we are currently
supporting communities
Defra Flooding Resilience Community Pathfinder
• 13 projects
• A nationwide approach
• Testing new ideas
• Developing a network of
practitioners
• An opportunity to extend
this work to new areas
Recovery
Other things …
NFF Website
Policy - Insurance
Flooding in West Sussex 2012
Community flood risk management
A holistic approach
Lots of little steps, working in partnership
• Detailed appraisal of where water actually flows
• Land management
• Rainfall capture
• Ditch management
• Property protection
• Monitoring gullies, culverts, ditches and bridges
• Local early warning systems
As well as undertaking a range of small to medium scale engineering schemes
Charlton
Buckingham Flood Plan
‘Supporting and Representing Flood Risk Communities’ 40
Written and owned by FA4B Covers;
Locations at risk Focus on 96 houses with Flood defences Door knocking routes Evacuation procedures Those requiring assistance Volunteer Expectations
‘Supporting and Representing Flood Risk Communities’ 41
Call/Email all volunteers
Central meeting point
Buckingham Parish
church
Assignment of roles and
equipment
Supporting and Representing Flood Risk Communities
The training
Where the plan is practiced
Future flood risk management
You can’t build flood defences everywhere, but you can work with every community to increase their flood resilience
