Responding to the risk of flooding

Andrew WatkinsonSchool of Environmental Sciences

University of East Anglia

a.watkinson@uea.ac.uk

Flooding

Flood risk represents a combination of the probability of the occurrence with its potential consequences

2005: £575m per year2035: £1 billion per year

Managing the risk

Source: Evans et al. 2004

Foresight flood risk

But ..... Flooding from intense rainfall events

Climate Change Risk Assessment• The global climate is changing and

warming will continue over the next century

• The UK is already vulnerable to extreme weather, including flooding and heatwaves

• Flood risk is projected to increase significantly across the UK

• UK water resources are projected to come under increased pressure

• Potentially, there are health benefits as well as threats related to climate change, affecting the most vulnerable groups in our society

• Sensitive ecosystems are likely to come under increasing pressure

• etc

National Adaptation Programme

Implement FCERM Strategy for England Defra/EA

Secure, with industry, new arrangements for flood insurance beyond 2013

Government/industry

Develop Local Flood Risk Management strategies that set out the approach to managing local flood risk and consider the effect of future climate change and the increasing severity of weather events

Lead Local Flood Authorities/EA

1. To reduce the risk of death and illness associated with severe weather events and climate change and increase preparedness and resilience to the impacts on public health.

2. To promote climate resilience within the NHS, public health and social care system to ensure continuity of services and resilient assets/estates, including the ability to deal with the increased demand for services associated with severe weather related events.

Actions to promote climate resilience in the health and social care system

Actions to address flood risk

Health Impacts

• Drowning• Physical injury• Diarrhoeal disease• Vector- and rodent-borne diseases• Chemical contamination• Respiratory infections• Skin/eye infections• Mental health

• Damage to health care infrastructure and loss of essential drugs• Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure• Damage to crops and/or disruption of food supplies• Damage/destruction of property• Disruption of livelihood and income• Population displacement

Direct

Indirect

Source: Ahern and Kovats 2006

Thinking through the adaptation response