Severe Weather, Flooding, Drought
Extreme weather conditions come under the jurisdiction of the Met Office [External
website]
The
Environment Agency [External website] is the lead
for flooding and drought in England and Wales, with the Scottish Environment Protection
Agency [External website].
On this page:
The level of risk
The weather and its impacts are seldom far from our lives. Around 5 million
people, in 2 million properties, for example, live in flood risk areas in
England and Wales. And of course, the whole of the UK is at risk of severe
weather. It will never be technically, environmentally, or economically
possible to prevent flooding or severe weather entirely.
Instead, the UK Government seeks to manage the risk through better early
warning, improved defences, and enhanced education and awareness etc. The
Environment Agency [External website], which
reports to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) [External website], and the Met Office (a
trading fund of the Ministry of Defence) [External website],
have important roles in warning people about the risk of severe weather and
flooding, and in reducing the likelihood of flooding from rivers and the
sea.
The types of severe weather and flooding conditions that the UK Government
uses for contingency planning purposes are severe storms and gales,
persistent low temperatures and heavy snow, heat waves, and major flooding
(coastal, tidal and fluvial at local and national scales).
Examples
The table below shows some examples of the specific risks which are
assessed as part of the national risk assessment framework. The framework
applies locally, regionally, in the devolved administrations and at the UK
level. Details of the framework and risk assessment methodology can be
found in the risk section of
this site.
Risk Evaluation
|
Type of Risk
|
Risk Categories
|
Outcome Description for Planning Purposes
|
|
Hazard
|
Storms and Gales
|
Storm force winds affecting most of the country for at least 6 hours.
Most inland, lowland areas experience mean speeds in excess of 55 mph
with gusts in excess of 85 mph.
|
|
Hazard
|
Low temperatures and heavy snow
|
Snow lying over most of the country for at least one month. Most
lowland areas experience some snow falls in excess of 30 cm, some
drifts in excess of 1m, and a period of at least 7 consecutive days
with daily mean temperatures below -30C.
|
|
Hazard
|
Localised coastal/tidal flooding
|
Sea surge, high tides, gale force winds affecting the coastline and
one Region, some defences overtopped or failing at a single location.
Localised impact with infrastructure affected and up to 1000
properties flooded. Flood warning service would operate effectively.
Multi-agency response invoked with some local evacuation and
cordoning off of affected areas. Impact on infrastructure includes
disruption to traffic for 1-3 days, impact on access to agricultural
land and impact to infrastructure e.g. sewage treatment works
flooded.
|
Flooding
The Pitt Review - Learning Lessons from the 2007 floods
This review, which is being led by the Cabinet Office, will study the
emergency response to the floods in June and July 2007 and look at ways to
reduce the risk and impact of flooding in future. Sir Michael Pitt, the
independent chair overseeing the review, welcomes comments, ideas and
suggestions from all sections of the community regarding the review, as
well as feedback on the experiences of those affected by the floods.
Flood Alerts
-
Telephone Floodline 0845 988 1188 - For information on
flooding in England, Wales and Scotland.
-
REGIONAL INFORMATION - Listen to local radio, and check
ITV Teletext page 160 and BBC CEEFAX pages 437 and 438. All are updated
frequently.
Flood Information
-
Environment Agency: Managing Flood Risk [External
website] with information on what makes a flood happen, managing
flood water, forecasting and warning, when a flood happens, and into the
future - climate change, new technology and training
Advice for Local Authorities, Businesses and Organisations
-
Flood Support
microsite [External website] - Includes a flood
simulator, case studies, flood support fact sheets and a FAQ.
-
Flood preparation guide for business [External
website] - This guide will give you valuable information on
developing your own flood plan, and how to be better prepared in the
event of a flood situation.
-
Online Flood Library [External website] - All the
Environment Agency's flood literature in one place.
Severe Weather
Heatwave
Guidance
Weather Forecasts
Climate Change
-
Defra -
Climate Change [External website] - information
on climate change, what causes it, how the world and the UK could be
affected, what is being done to tackle the effects of climate change, and
how industry, businesses, and individuals can do their bit to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
-
Tyndall
Centre [External website] - scientists,
economists, engineers and social scientists, working to develop
sustainable responses to climate change.
Drought and Water Resources
-
Environment
Agency: Water Resources [External website] -
Includes: the water resources situation, groundwater, understanding water
needs of the environment, Savewater, the demand management bulletin,
water resources planning guidelines, water company drought plans,
securing water supply, and water resources for the future.
Training
-
The Emergency Planning College
(EPC) [External website] is the leading provider
of training for emergency preparedness, attracting delegates with
responsibility for preventing, planning for, responding to or recovering
from a major incident. The EPC runs courses on emergencies in severe
weather as well as other aspects of civil protection:
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