EARLY FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM PROTECTS VILLAGE FROM A POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING FLOOD

摘要

According to the Met Office, December was the wettest month the UK has seen in over a century. As a result flooding has affected thousands of homes and businesses, particularly across the North of England. It is estimated by the BBC that the cost of this flooding will breach the £5bn barrier, creating a £1.5bn burden on UK insurance companies. Whilst there are many things that can be done to prevent flooding such as installing barriers, dredging rivers or more natural approaches like digging ditches in fields to divert the flood waters to open land, most of these activities are out of reach for local communities in the short term. In some cases having more time to defend against rising flood waters can be enough to prevent substantial damage, giving people adequate warning at any time of day or night to deploy their defences and safeguard their assets. This is the approach that was recently taken by the local parish Council for the village of Stansted Mountfitchet near the Hertfordshire border.