Welfare

Flooding: The role of public sector bodies and local authorities in mitigating flood risk

Mary Dhonau, chief executive of the Know Your Flood Risk Campaign, explains what can and should be done about flooding.

Flooding represents the biggest natural catastrophe risk in the UK. The floods of 2007, which cost the country £3.2bn* with the average insurance claim totalling £30,000**, demonstrated the devastating impact flooding can have on peoples’ homes, families and livelihoods.

Five million homes across the UK are at risk of flood, with at least 200,000 homes at significant risk of flood.

The ending of the Statement of Principles

30 June 2013 sees the ending of the ‘Statement of Principles’, a gentleman’s agreement initially signed in 2000 between the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Government. The agreement committed insurers to continue to provide flood insurance for most people at risk of flood whilst the Government committed to investing in flood defences, providing flood data to insurers and delivering a robust planning system. The agreement was established as a temporary solution to enable successive Governments to organise and fund a more appropriate and sustainable long-term solution.

The Statement was last extended in 2008, at which time the ABI stated that it would not be renewed again when the current agreement expired at the end of June 2013.

So what will happen post-2013? Whilst the impact that the ending of the Statement of Principles will have on flood insurance is unknown, early indications are not good. Some insurers are already trying to rid themselves of insuring previously flooded or ‘at risk’ homes, long before June 2013. I have learned of several homeowners who are struggling to find affordable insurance; the cost of their insurance has increased by two-thirds and the excess amounts are around £15,000-£20,000. Such excesses are simply not affordable for the vast majority of people.

Time is fast running out to make sure that people in high risk areas are properly protected from the devastation that flooding can cause. Without an announcement from the Government, we are heading towards a ‘free market’ where there is no obligation from any insurer to insure ‘at significant risk’ homes. This could potentially render 200,000 properties in the UK without access to affordable flood insurance. This would almost certainly negatively impact properties’ future valuations, mortgage applications and saleability.

Based on annual insurance policies, homeowners and the insurance industry have until June 2012 to address this issue.

An urgent solution needs to be announced so homeowners are not left in the predicament where they face having their mortgage withdrawn because they are either unable to secure cover or insurance premiums are so high that they are unaffordable.

This issue is not going to go away and simply must be addressed and a solution found. A lack of solution could have a significant knock-on effect to the property market as a whole.

Who’s responsible?

At present, no-one has claimed responsibility for what happens post-June 2013. If no solution from the Government is forthcoming, the responsibility for individual homes is highly likely to fall to the individual owner. Local authorities and councils do, however, have a responsibility to understand the risks to their areas and take necessary steps to prepare for and mitigate the risks and impact of flooding.

The role of local authorities

Following the 2007 floods, the Pitt Review and the Flood and Water Management Bill identified local authorities as having a central leadership role in local flood risk management. They are crucial to identifying and responding to the needs of the community, as well as working in partnership with numerous public and private organisations and agencies to coordinate flood responses.

Having been flooded myself, I know only too well what an appalling experience it is. To watch as everything you have worked hard for is thrown into a skip is hard enough, but to lose precious sentimental items – such as your child’s first drawings – is completely devastating.

The misery is further compounded by having to move out of your home into alternative accommodation for an average of nine months and watch helplessly as your home becomes a building site during the restoration process. The added factor that flood insurance may no longer be affordable and accessible for all and that the responsibility will now fall onto the home owner to protect their own homes compounds the misery for those at risk.

So what can you as local authorities with responsibility for managing local flood risk do to support homeowners?

Firstly, it is essential that individuals actually know their own flood risk and prepare in advance for being flooded. If an Environment Agency flood warning is available for your area, encourage people to sign up as a flood warning does give individuals some time to move precious items to a safe place. (Log onto the Environment Agency’s website, www. environment-agency.gov.uk, and type in your postcode under the section ‘am I at risk of flooding?’. You can also call Floodline on 0845 988 1188.)

If flood warnings are not available in your area, there are now many telemetry systems available that can alert communities that a flood is imminent. There are also flood alarms available for individual properties.

Preparing a plan in advance can help people keep calm in a highly stressful situation, so having something written down in advance will help individuals when their minds are whirling and help them to stay focussed on what each household has to do. I have co-written a four-step guide to preparing a household emergency plan, with a large focus on being flooded. This and a template plan, which can be tailored to each local authority area, can be downloaded from my website www.marydhonau.co.uk. The Know Your Flood Risk campaign has also written a flood guide for local authorities and again, this can be personalised to each local authority’s needs. This can be found at www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk

During the latter part of last year, two new guides were written. A technical version for local authorities entitled ‘Handbook of Flood Mitigation for Existing Properties’ is an excellent tool when thinking about making a property either ‘flood resistant’ – protecting a property using flood protection products or building materials to try to prevent floodwater from entering a property and damaging its fabric and contents; or ‘flood resilient’ – adapting a property to minimise the effect of floodwater, so no permanent damage is caused and the structural integrity is maintained. The guide is available on www. rabconsultants.co.uk.

Furthermore, the Know Your Flood Risk campaign published a less technical version with the homeowner in mind. Homeowners are frequently told to ‘protect their properties from floods’ but, to the ordinary man on the street without a degree in engineering, this can be a daunting task. The ‘Homeowners Guide to Flood Resilience’ covers all types of flooding from all sources and gives individuals detailed information regarding the appropriate flood prevention products to use. A directory of product manufacturers is also included. The guide is available on www. knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk

Whilst the future of flood insurance hangs on a fine thread at the moment, the future does not have to be all doom and gloom. I prepared in advance for being flooded and also made my home flood resilient. When I was flooded again in 2007, I did not have to make an insurance claim and was back living downstairs within only three weeks! Whilst the experience was certainly no picnic, it was far better for me than living in a caravan for up to two years, as many people affected have had to face.

The role of local authorities managing flood risk includes changing the mind set of those at risk; an uphill struggle I know, but in the harsh economic climate we all live in, this may be the only way forward.

UK FLOODING STATISTICS

• The 2007 floods alone cost the country £3.2billion

• The average insurance claim totalled £30,000

• Five million homes across the UK are ‘at risk’ of flood, with at least 200,000 homes ‘at significant risk’ of flood

• 2.8 million people live at risk of surface water flooding

THE STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

The Statement of Principles ends on 30th June 2013 The Government is yet to announce or implement a solution for what will happen post-June 2013.

Based on annual insurance policies, homeowners, the insurance industry and Government have until June 2012 to address the issue.

MARY DHONAU

Mary Dhonau has been flooded herself on many occasions and has extensive experience in supporting and advising the victims of flooding during their recovery. She has championed promotion of individual flood protection and resilience and is a passionate advocate of empowering communities to recognise and take responsibility for minimising their collective flood risk.

She has represented the ‘voice of the flood victim’ at government level, in the media, and at many flood risk management national conferences and is a respected figure within the flood protection industry. Dhonau was awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to the environment.

She is the chief executive of the ‘Know Your Flood Risk’ campaign and the chair of the Flood Protection Association. Formerly, Mary was the chief executive of the National Flood Forum, but now runs a small consultancy (MD Associates) specialising in community engagement and is currently contracted to the Environment Agency working with communities in the Midlands.

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