After months of extreme weather, the Environment Agency have been
stepping up efforts to protect the country from weather whiplash.
This is where prolonged dry conditions can be followed by periods
of heavy rainfall and flooding.
With severe drought recently declared in parts of southern
England, and a heightened potential for a wet winter, communities
can face contrasting challenges of water scarcity and flooding,
sometimes in the same season. The Environment Agency is
encouraging communities to prepare for the risks ahead as part of
its Flood Action Week campaign.
Across the Great Ouse catchment communities are strengthening
their flood preparedness now. Thirty-five communities across the
Great Ouse catchment have already developed community flood plans
and received a start-up emergency flood kit. Tailored to each
community the kits typically include high visibility jackets, a
submersible pump, roadside Flood' signs, temporary barriers, a
first aid kit, two-way radios, and torches. These are practical
tools that can make a real difference when flooding threatens.
Adam Foster, Flood Risk Manager from the Environment Agency said:
We're facing extreme weather, with flood and drought placing
communities under growing pressure. Building resilience has never
been more important.
Through flood groups, community flood plans, and emergency flood
kits, this project is equipping local volunteers and communities
to respond quickly and effectively when water levels rise. We
can't always prevent flooding, but we can help communities
understand their risk, be better prepared and hopefully recover
more quickly.
One example of community preparedness in action is Riseley,
Bedfordshire, where residents have shown the value of getting
organised before flooding strikes. Residents formed a flood group
and worked with the Environment Agency and Bedford Borough
Council to develop a community flood plan, identify vulnerable
residents, and spread the word through door-knocking, social
media and leaflets. And, when flooding later hit the village,
their preparation paid off.
Alongside the kits, CCTV cameras are being installed at
flood-risk locations across the catchment, letting communities,
the Environment Agency and partners monitor conditions remotely.
For residents, that means they can check water levels online and
make informed decisions without leaving home. Nine cameras are
already in place, with a tenth installed in Newport Pagnell last
week.
As the weather becomes increasingly unpredictable, knowing your
flood risk and understanding what to do when warnings are issued
can help households prepare for changing conditions. During Flood
Action Week, people are being encouraged to take simple,
proactive steps: check their flood risk, prepare a flood plan,
and sign up for flood warnings.
Households can also visit Flood
Action Online, a one-stop hub where people can check their
flood risk, sign up for warnings, access Met Office alerts, and
find practical advice on making their homes more resilient.
Notes to editors:
- The Great Ouse catchment flood resilience project is funded
through the local levy programme and delivered in partnership
with local authorities.
- Communities in the catchment can apply for a flood kit and
flood monitoring camera after developing a suitable community
flood plan with support from the Environment Agency.
- Communities with flood kits: Alconbury, Alconbury Weston,
Biggleswade, Blunham, Brampton, Buckden, Buckingham, Cambridge,
Cottenham, Cranfield, Elsworth, Fen Drayton, Great Barford,
Harrold, Houghton and Wyton, Kempston West, Kempston, Langford,
Newport Pagnell, Northill, Oakington and Westwick, Potton,
Riseley, Sandy, Shefford, St Ives, Stevington, Stony Stratford,
Stotfold, Swavesey, Swineshead, Walsham le Willows, Wistow,
Woughton, Yelden and Melchbourne.
- Communities with flood monitoring cameras: Alconbury,
Alconbury Weston, Cambridge, Harrold, Newport Pagnell, Riseley,
St Ives, Stony Stratford, Wistow, Yelden and Melchbourne.
- Only communities within the Great
Ouse catchment are eligible for community flood kits and
flood monitoring cameras. The catchment crosses county
boundaries and includes parts of Northamptonshire,
Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire,
Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. Communities located within these
counties but outside the catchment are not eligible.
For information about Community
Flood Plans
