As the Environment Agency issues flood risk forecasts for much of South East England today and tomorrow the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South East England has called for more investment in flood defences and maintenance to protect infrastructure, homes and businesses.
Director of ICE South East England, John Laverty, said: “Having your home or business flooded is a devastating experience leading to the immediate loss of property, including irreplaceable many items such as photographs, and then a long process of drying out the property and making it fit for purpose again.
“The events over the last few weeks serve as a stark reminder that Britain will continue to face the consequences of severe rainfall until action is taken to ensure we are more flood resilient.
“The impacts of flooding are far reaching - it afflicts communities, homes, businesses and sadly takes lives.
“It also often leads to the failure of critical infrastructure networks such as power and transport, further restricting access to basic services when they’re needed most. The often long-term effect on businesses is damaging the UK economy as a whole.
“ICE South East England believes that local communities need to be able adopt a wider range of measures that are not solely reliant on conventional flood defences, but this requires the appropriate levels of funding and guidance to be in place.
“Lead Local Flood Authorities who now have responsibility for flooding must be properly supported to deliver this. The Environment Agency itself states that every £1 invested in flood risk, returns around £8 worth of benefit.
“Adopting a diverse range of solutions will improve our resilience, and ensure these benefits are realised. Such measures need to include improved maintenance of drainage ditches and storm drains so they can perform their function effectively as well as investment in major projects.
“We cannot just wait for floods to destroy homes - we must take effective measures to mitigate and avoid damage.”
ICE South East England has 11,000 members living and working in the region. More information can be found at www.ice.org.uk/see. You can follow ICE South East England on Twitter: @ICE_SEEngland