Met Office warning of 'above average likelihood of a wet winter'
People in York and North Yorkshire are being urged to be vigilant in at risk flood areas.
Nearly two in three households at risk of flooding don’t believe it will happen to them, new analysis revealed by the Environment Agency today (Tuesday 23th November) has warned. It comes as the Met Office has said there is an above average likelihood of a wet winter.
Members of the public are being urged to join their friends, family and neighbours who have already taken action to help prepare themselves and their properties for possible flooding. The research shows that people who haven’t taken action to prepare for flooding are in the clear minority (30%), but this still means that as many as 1.5 million households, who are at risk, are yet to prepare.
In January 2021 York and North Yorkshire was hit by heavy flooding, with thousands of sandbags deployed into at risk areas.
It followed the effects of Storm Christoph, and led to extensive clean up operations across the city of York and areas including Malton and Norton.
The new analysis has been released at the start of Flood Action Week (22nd–28th November 2021), when the Environment Agency is urging people to check their flood risk online, sign up for flood warnings and, if they are at risk, know what to do if flooding hits.
Those at risk are encouraged to follow the advice to ‘Prepare. Act. Survive’, specifically:
· If there is a flood alert – prepare by packing medicines and insurance and other important documents and visit the flood warning information service.
· If there is a flood warning – act by moving family, pets and belongings to safety. Turn off gas, water and electricity.
· If there is a severe flood warning – survive immediate danger by following the advice of emergency services or calling 999 if needed
The warnings come as the Environment Agency continues to prepare for possible flooding, with the Met Office’s outlook showing there is an above average chance of the UK winter being wetter than normal over the next three months.
Kim Tan is part of the Flood Resilience Team for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire:
"You need to be able to know your flood risk, and the simple steps to checking that is to go online to see the free flood alert services with the Environment Agency.
"Flooding is an increasing risk with climate change. We have seen significant flooding in rivers in Yorkshire - such as along the Ouse in January.
"We can also go back to 2015 when we had serious floods in York along the Foss Barrier. We would urge people to understand their flood risk and to check online to see if they are at risk. It's important to prepare a flood plan, and you can download a free template.
"If you receive a flood alert - which is our first stage in warning people about flooding - then prepare by packing important items like medication or insurance documents.
"You need to be ready to act by moving your family, pets and belongings to safety. Having a plan is critical, because you don't want to be thinking about all of this at 2am when you've received a flood warning and time is ticking.
"Work is currently underway at locations in York, including Bishopthorpe, Clementhorpe, Marygate and Clifton Ings. We've invested £38 million to upgrade the Foss Barrier, which will reduce the flood risk to around 1,200 properties in York.
"Following the 2015 floods we've increased protection from river flooding to over 2,000 properties in York. We're also trying to work very closely with communities so that they're able to understand what their risk is, and are able to prepare themselves".
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Flooding at the Environment Agency, said:
"Now is the time for us all to be vigilant, not complacent, about flooding.
"Our previous investment programme protected 314,000 properties from flooding. Our flood defences have helped to protect nearly 200,000 properties during flooding incidents since 2019, and we’re investing millions into building new schemes and making repairs to keep communities safe.
"Yet we can’t prevent all flooding - climate change is only increasing that risk – and today’s figures show that while some people are prepared, many are not.
"It’s vitally important for the public to go online and check if they are at risk, sign up for Environment Agency warnings, and know what to do if flooding hits."
With 250 mobile pumps and 6,000 trained staff across the country, the Environment Agency is ready to take action wherever it is needed this winter. The construction and repair of flood defences has also continued throughout the year as part of the record £5.2 billion government investment to better protect 336,000 properties.
These preparations have already helped to protect communities from flooding in late October, when parts of the country saw a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours. While this sadly led to the flooding of 79 households, flood defences and Environment Agency action helped to protect over 3300 properties.
Will Lang, Head of Civil Contingencies at the Met Office said:
"Winters in the UK usually includes a wide variety of weather and this winter looks to be no exception. However, when looking at the big global drivers that impact weather in the UK there are indications this winter could be wetter than normal.
"Although these wetter conditions are most likely in January and February next year, details will become clearer nearer the time and information can be found on the forecast pages of our website."