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Environment Agency Southern Region i DATE DUE 5 2 2 5 1 f t B F l Wr V v V t Alison Baptiste Regional Flood Defence Manager Environment Agency Guildbourne House Chatsworth Road Worthing Sussex BN11 1LD JTel 01903 832000 Fax 01903 821863 ISBN 185705 570 5 ©Environment Agency All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Environment Agency. Cover: Firemen in rescue dinghy, Uckfield, Oct/Nov 2000 HO-4/01-550-A Printed on recycled paper £ A - FOREWORD To ensure we deliver the best service to our customers it is essential that we continually review our performance and identify opportunities for improvement. This report has been produced to ensure an accurate and clear understanding of the events that occurred during the Autumn Floods and the role and response of the Environment Agency. Some issues have already been identified from a review of the events and recommendations are proposed. In the light of this report, and further flooding problems seen during the winter and into 2001, an Action Plan will be produced to address issues and opportunities. The Action Plan will contain a detailed time-scale for introducing improvements from both this Review and the National Review also being undertaken. We expect to produce this Action Plan for July 2001. Additional detailed reports for each of the Agency’s three Areas within Southern Region - Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent are also being prepared. In the meantime, much work is being done to secure damaged flood defences, increase the number of people who wish to receive direct flood warnings from us, and maintain and improve our readiness to respond to further flooding. Copies of this review are being circulated to interested groups including Local Authorities, Emergency Services, local MPs and members of the public on request. If you are aware of any issues or further information in relation to the flooding events detailed in this report, we would welcome your written comments at the address below. For convenience a foldout glossary of terminology used is provided at the back of this report. David Jordan Regional Director February 2001 543 En v ir o n m e n t Ag e n c y Alison Baptiste Regional Flood Defence Manager Environment Agency NATIONAL LIBRARY & Southern Region INFORMATION SERVICE Guildbourne House Chatsworth Road s o u t h e r n r e g i o n Wort ing Guildbourne House, Chatsworth Road. BN11 1LD Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1LD 9 (01903)832000 1 (01903)821863 S [email protected] ENVIRONMENT AGENCY llllillHIIIIIIIIIIl 070465 Environment Agency Southern Region Autumn 2000 Floods Review EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Autumn 2000 was the wettest in England and Wales since records began in 1766. Between 15th September and 15th November 2000 a series of storms with heavy rain repeatedly swept across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent with up to three times the average monthly rainfall, three months in succession. Four serious flood events resulted from the deluge, causing widespread disruption and devastation to around 2,500 properties and businesses with thousands of people directly and indirectly affected by the flooding. The problems then continued beyond the 15th November as rainfall led to extremely high groundwater levels across the chalk catchments resulting in continued flooding into 2001. The impact of the flooding on the thousands of families and individuals affected during the autumn cannot be underestimated. Many have seen their homes flooded more than once during this period and some even up to nine times in the last two years. Many families have yet to return to their homes months after rivers levels have dropped. The polluted and contaminated nature of flood waters makes worse the impact on people and their property, and will contribute to the length of time it will take for many to recover. The Agency will continue to support local communities affected by the flooding through public meetings, advising on recovery plans and prospects and by dealing with the hundreds of letters from individuals affected and reducing future risk where possible. This report has been produced by staff across Southern Region of the Environment Agency as a record of the events between 15th September and 15th November 2000. Issues and recommendations are identified in order to pursue continuous improvement of the Agency’s flood forecasting and warning systems, the emergency response service and management of flood risk in the Region. The Agency’s flood forecasting and flood warning systems were key factors in the response. Agency staff forecasted where river flooding was likely to occur and issued warnings to those at highest risk, thus giving people and organisations the opportunity to respond. Across the Region nearly 200,000 calls were made by the Agency’s Automated Voice Messaging (AVM) system to issue the 742 flood warnings direct to individual homes and businesses. The National Public Awareness Campaign, launched on 11th September, which included direct mailings and television advertising, had raised the profile of flood risk and provided information to the public on self help during flooding. The Agency’s Floodline service received over 500,000 calls nationally during the period, many from elderly and vulnerable members of society. The Floodline operators were able to give advice on what warnings were in force, what help was available and what individuals could do to help themselves. As lifeboats were launched on the streets of the South and many people suffered the trauma of flooding in their homes, the Agency’s operational staff and emergency workforce battled with the unrelenting river flows. The Agency supported the response to the floods throughout the South, working with the police, the fire brigade, local authorities and many other organisations to provide information, and help limit the worst consequences of a truly extraordinary series of events. Pollution and potential sources of pollution were identified and dealt with by environment protection officers. Fisheries and conservation officers similarly helped to offset some Version 1.0 Page i 05/04/01 Environment Agency Southern Region Autumn 2000 Floods Review of the worst consequences for wildlife. Navigation staff in Kent demonstrated remarkable skill as they managed the navigation channels and dealt with vessels breaking free from moorings. Despite the scale of the event there was no major structural failure of an Agency- managed flood defence and mercifully no loss of life occurred across the Region. There were instances where third party defences failed; however the major cause of flooding was due to over topping. This report identifies a series of issues and makes recommendations for improvements both within and external to the Agency which are summarised below. a) Although the response of the Agency was seen to have been successful in many respects the recommendations show that there is still room for improvement. Many of these improvements will require increased financial and staffing resources. Adequate funding of flood defence is crucial as lives and livelihoods are seriously at risk and the impact of flooding on those affected cannot be underestimated. Despite the scale of the events and the potential for them to continue and repeat themselves, the Agency has experienced considerable difficulties in some areas in raising necessary funding for flood defence work through the levies. A national review of the way the Agency’s flood defence activities are funded is underway led by MAFF. Local authority members of flood defence committees carry heavy responsibilities and it is important that their nominating authorities and national government support them. b) To a householder any flooding is devastating but the existing arrangements_for flood “risk rnanagement_are not clear for the general public. In an extreme and prolonged event an individual family can suffer flooding from several sources: overwhelmed urban drainage, surface runoff, overtopped riverbanks, overwhelmed sewerage system and groundwater. No single body is managing these combined risks. Help and guidance is needed to help the public know who to ask for advice in such traumatic and devastating circumstances. c) More robust guidance is needed on development in the floodplain. Flood risk must be a high priority planning consideration. Planning guidance needs to be precautionary and built on a presumption of safety during extreme events. The Agency’s influence in respect of development in flood risk areas must be strengthened. The Agency has been encouraging house buyers and their conveyancers to research flood risk and, although still very small, the number of searches we receive is slowly increasing. There are huge development pressures in the Southeast. Flood risks must not be allowed to escalate as a consequence. d) The likely far reaching consequences of climate change need to be taken into account by all involved in flood risk management. People deserve to know why in some specific cases they have been flooded up to nine times within the past two years and what plans can be put in place to alleviate flooding problems. We need to determine the causes of the flooding and the likely consequences of climate change. We can then decide if mitigation and adaptation measures can be applied to offset an escalation in flood risk, in addition to the work we are already undertaking. Version 1.0 Page ii 05/04/01 Environment Agency Southern Region Autumn 2000 Floods Review e) There is a need to apply the strategic approach currently used for coastlines to rivers so that flood risk is managed in whole catchments to ensure appropriate defence standards are in place. Such a strategic approach must be comprehensive and include, where possible, the wider issues such as flooding from non-main rivers, groundwater, sewerage and drainage systems, urban and rural land use planning and climate' change.

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