2.3 Supporting and representing flood risk communities (P.Cobbing)

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

Paul Cobbing

0777 3355 181

01299 403101

[email protected]

www,floodforum.org.uk

Thank you