In light of the recent damage caused in towns like Cockermouth in Cumbria as a result of Storm Desmond, a fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering has said that the standards of flood defence must be re-evaluated.
Speaking to the BBC, professor Jim Hall said local authorities must think about what has to be done in order to drive down the chances of major disruption and damage to those communities most at risk of flooding.
“The worrying aspect of these floods is that they are causing such severe damage even after major steps had been taken to improve the flood defences in Carlisle and Cockermouth and to improve the resilience of the nation’s electricity infrastructure,” he said.
He made these comments after exceptional levels of rain fell on overly saturated land, according to the Met office, which meant that vast amounts of water ran into the river systems in the area, overwhelming flood defences.
No doubt those involved in concrete repairs will have their work cut out for them in Cockermouth and other parts of Cumbria that have been affected.
George Osborne has just announced that a £50 million repair and renew fund will be made available for Cumbria and Lancashire following the severe flooding, promising both homeowners and business owners that the help they need will be given quickly.
It’s thought that Storm Desmond caused approximately £500 million worth of damage across Cumbria, according to figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers which showed it to be nearly double the cost of floods that affected the county a few years ago.