How many times do you see flood events on the television or
in the press and think that won’t happen to me! A staggering 1 in 6 people live in a flood risk area in the
UK and it is likely that this figure will rise with more extreme weather events
predicted.
The common misconceptions.....
- I live on a hill I won’t flood...
Properties on a hill can still suffer
flooding from surface water run off , sewerage, groundwater and even a burst
water piped.
- I have lived here 20 years and it has never flooded...
Just because an area hasn’t flooded in
recent times does not mean it won’t flood, when Darwen, Lancashire flooded in 2012 the
previous major flood event was 1964.
Floods devastated Henley on Thames in 2014 and the previous flood event
was 1947.
- That river that will never be high enough to flood me...
The level of the River Darwen at Ewood (close by to Ewood Park - home of Blackburn Rovers) is typically
between 0.3m and 1.10m however the highest recorded river level here is 2.22m.
- Flooding only happens in winter...
The 2012 flooding event in Darwen was
during the summer months as was Boscastle. Boscastle flooded in August 2004 when very heavy rain fell from storms close
to the village, this caused two rivers to burst their banks. About two billion
litres of water then rushed down the valley straight into Boscastle. Residents
had little time to react. Cars were swept out to sea, buildings were badly
damaged and people had to act quickly to survive. Fortunately, nobody died -
thanks largely to a huge rescue operation involving helicopters - but there was
millions of pounds worth of damage.
Do
you still think you will never flood?
It is important
that you are prepared so THINK BIG and ACT EARLY you never know when a flood
could happen next!
For more
information on preparing for a flood take a look at the Environment Agency website
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