An urgent review into how flooding is warned needs to happen, according to a climate change expert.
Britain remains on high alert for more flooding following devastation – and deaths – caused as a result of Storm Bert. Travel on roads and railways has been disrupted by the downpours and homes have been destroyed, including caravans at a site in Northamptonshire.
Storm Bert lashed the UK with wind gusts up to 80 mph over the weekend and as much as 130mm (5.1 inches) of rain fell in some areas, causing some rivers to overflow their banks and turning roads into waterways.
Weather warnings were issued for rain by the Met Office, which stated flooding was likely as a result of this. However, community leaders expressed their surprise at the floods, some of which were the most severe in the last 25 years.
And Professor Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading, says this shows changes need to be made at how the public is made aware flooding is likely. She said: “The fact that we are seeing a council leader in Wales expressing his surprise that floods occurred when the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain shows something isn’t working. It could be that the warnings were too cautious, or it could be that even senior people on the ground don’t properly understand the information that they are being given.”
A man in his 80s died after his car entered the water at a ford in Lancashire on Saturday, and a body believed to be that of a missing dog walker was found the same day near the Afon Conwy river in north Wales.
With further flooding expected this week, particularly across the Midlands and East of England, Prof Cloke reminded Brits flood warnings are not the responsibility of the Met Office – instead it’s the Environment Agency.
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“This storm was well forecast, named several days in advance, and weather warnings were issued. It is problematic if people don’t take action because a yellow weather warning is not seen as concerning enough,” the academic continued.
“This highlights some of the problems in issuing alerts for extreme weather. People look to the Met Office for warnings, but the Met Office is not mandated to issue warnings for river flooding. While the Met Office looks to the sky, we expect people in the way of floods to understand that their main risk comes from the river. We expect them to understand that flood warnings are not the responsibility of the Met Office.”
More than 130 flood alerts remain in effect across England, Wales and Scotland, including a rare “danger to life” warning for the River Nene at Billing Aquadrome and nearby business parks in Northamptonshire.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed told the House of Commons on Monday: “Further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse. The Environment Agency anticipates that any impacts should be less severe than we’ve seen in recent days.”
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