Keeping a weather eye open
South East Business - June 2008
“Flaming June” turned out to be flooding June last year, writes
Andy White, chief executive, Towergate Risk Solutions
Sevenoaks.
Around 49,000 households and nearly 7,000 businesses were
flooded. Major infrastructure such as transport links, schools,
power and water supplies were disrupted. Insurance claims of £3
billion were made as Britain experienced the wettest May to July
since 1766 when reliable records began to be collected.
So what’s the forecast for this summer? The Met Office suggests
that rainfall is more likely to be either near or above average.
But as we’ve seen too often in recent years – one thunderclap and
the misery starts again due to poor flood defences, ancient
drainage systems and too many buildings on flood plains.
Around five million people, in two million properties, live in
flood risk areas in England and Wales, including several hundred
thousand businesses.
The Environment Agency, which oversees Britain’s flood defences,
says that a flood is 30 times more expensive than a burglary. For
businesses, as for families, it’s the long term disruption that
causes the serious problems. While business premises that are
resilient to flooding can be open for business much sooner after a
flood, 80% of businesses that do not have an emergency plan in
place do not recover from a major incident such as flood, even
where insurance is in place to cover financial losses, according to
a joint report by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the
National Flood Forum.
Much of the damage caused is not from rivers breaking their
banks but through flooding from sewers and urban drains. According
to the ABI, on average there are more than 7,000 cases of sewer
flooding every year. In large conurbations it has been estimated
that overloaded sewers typically account for some 50% of flooding
problems, due in part to the age of the sewerage system in many
cities, and in part to the relatively high density of building.
There are steps, though, that business owners can take to reduce
the threat of flooding. First and foremost, if you are setting up
new premises, check whether or not they are on a flood plain. The
Environment Agency website is an easy way to find out. If your
existing premises are in a flood prone area get professional advice
and prepare a flood contingency plan. This is where Towergate Risk
Solutions Sevenoaks can be of great assistance.
Apart from ensuring that your premises are properly maintained –
guttering, roofing, drains and down pipes are all weather tight or
performing properly – you could install door guards or skirt
systems to reduce the ingress of water should local flooding occur.
Vital machinery, computers, documents or materials could be located
at a higher level. Even low cost systems to prevent toilets backing
up are available.
Should flooding occur there are some basic steps to take. The
Towergate website www.towergate.co.uk gives more
details but:
- Never try to drive through flood water
- 80% of flood deaths occur in vehicles according to the Met
office
- Avoid walking through flood water, streams or rivers in full
flow – just six inches of rapidly moving water can knock a person
over
- If you have to evacuate your home or workplace turn off those
utilities you can access
- Avoid driving unless your journey is absolutely necessary
And a final word of advice. Your business might be hit by the
effects of flooding at a big supplier hundreds of miles away. Does
your flood contingency plan make allowance for that?
For further information and advice on flood risk management
contact Peter Lebreton on 01732 228 774 at Towergate Risk Solutions
Sevenoaks.