DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (194/08) issued by
The Government News Network on 20 June 2008
Details of
Government plans to assist individuals and businesses to better
protect their property from the impacts of flooding have been
outlined by the Environment Secretary today.
Visiting a flood affected neighbourhood in Leeds today, Hilary
Benn saw first hand how the impacts of flooding on homes and
businesses can be reduced by using a range of methods that help to
keep flood water out of your home, and also reduce damage if water
enters a property.
Under new plans the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) will commit £125,000 to the development of an
interactive website and phone line service in conjunction with the
Environment Agency. This will provide individuals and businesses
with the advice and information they need to protect their homes
and premises from flooding. Proposals to provide a Government
grant to help people bear some of the costs involved with
implementing such measures, for example through a free home flood
survey, will also form the basis of a public consultation in a few
weeks time.
Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn said:
"Following the events of last summer, people are rightly
concerned about how they can protect themselves from future
flooding. There is much that can be done to lessen the impact of
flooding on both residential and business properties, if people
have the right advice and help to do this. Doing so can also help
to improve the terms of your insurance. The forthcoming website
and the proposed grant scheme will go some way in ensuring that
people are supported to make the right choices for their properties.
"Research we are publishing today reveals that only
one-third of at-risk households who have been flooded in the past
have taken any steps to reduce the impact of flooding on their
property or possessions, and less than one-in-ten of at-risk
households who have not been flooded have taken steps to protect themselves.
"Government has invested more than £5 billion in flood and
coastal erosion risk management over the past 12 years and will
invest more than £800 million per year by 2010/11, but as Sir
Michael Pitt said in his interim report people must also play a
part in ensuring they are protecting themselves from the risk of
flooding. The overall finding from our resilience pilots is that
much can be achieved if we can help people to help themselves."
Last year six areas in England were selected to take part in
Defra's flood resilience pilot funding scheme, which provided
practical measures for a range of different properties and
flooding issues. The Department committed a total of £500,000 to
these schemes, which are now complete. Today Mr Benn is visiting
the site of one of these pilots at the Dunhill Estate in Halton, Leeds.
Environment Agency Chairman, Sir John Harman, said:
"It's a matter for serious concern that people are
often unaware of the measures they can take to lessen the danger
and devastation that floods can bring. We can't stop the rain
but we can reduce the impacts of flooding, so we all need to be
ready. This website will allow people to understand better the
information we and others already provide and practical actions
they can take."
Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance and Health at the
ABI, said:
"Making homes and businesses more resistant and resilient to
flooding is becoming increasingly important. The more help
available to property owners to protect against flood, the less
likely they are to suffer the misery and financial trauma of flooding."
Mary Dhonau Chief Executive of the National Flood Forum said:
"The National Flood Forum have been working closely with
Defra on this project and I am delighted that Government is
investing money to help individuals at risk of flooding in such a
proactive way. My home has been flooded on several occasions; so I
understand how devastating and confusing the whole experience can
be, particularly when it comes to knowing what to do to protect
your home from future flooding. I look forward to consulting with
Defra on a way forward with this issue."
Notes to Editors
1. New research that accompanies the pilot schemes (carried out
for Defra by Entec and Greenstreet Berman) is published today. The
report can be accessed at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/policy/strategy/rf1rf2.htm
* A telephone survey of 1,200 people found that many
householders and businesses recognise the benefits of resistance
and resilience methods, but most are deterred from using them as
they think they will be too expensive or don't know which
would be best for their properties
Other key findings include:
* Resistance measures are economically worthwhile with an annual
chance of flooding of 2% or above (1-in-50 year chance). The
largest savings are made when the annual chance of flooding is 4%
or greater (1-in-25 year chance).
* Temporary resistance
measures (i.e. temporary floor guards and airbrick covers) reduce
the costs of damage by about 50% if they are in place prior to a
flood. Permanent measures (i.e. permanent floodproof doors,
windows and airbrick covers) could prevent damage by up to 84%,
but may be more costly.
2. The pilot scheme offered each household in the pilot area a
maximum of £5,000 to implement methods. Most complete sets of
measures were found to cost between £2,000-£4,000 overall.
Research on the schemes can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/policy/strategy/rf1rf2.htm
The full list of completed pilot areas is below:
* The Dunhill Estate, Halton, Leeds - £90,000 budget, covering 68
residential properties
* Bleasby, Nottingham - £90,000 budget,
covering 12 residential and commercial properties
* Sandside,
Kirkby-in-Furness, Cumbria - £90,000 budget, covering 36
residential and commercial properties
* Sunderland Point,
Morecambe, Lancs - £110,000 budget, covering 30 residential
properties
* The Sands, Appleby, Cumbria - £80,000 budget,
covering 46 residential and commercial properties
* Uckfield,
East Sussex - £30,000 budget, covering 7 commercial properties
3. There are a range of methods available to suit the
circumstances of properties, for example resistance methods
include temporary door-guards or waterproof render. Resilience
methods include: water-resistant plaster for walls and floors or
raising electrics.
4. A consultation that sets out options on ways to increase the
use of property-level measures to reduce the impacts of flooding
will be launched next month.
5. The interactive website and phone line to provide people with
practical advice on how they can protect their homes, (using
resistance and resilience methods) will launch in Spring 2009.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
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