Communities around the UK and specifically in the south-west and the north of the country should be on high alert at the moment, as widespread heavy rain and showers could cause river and surface water flooding.
Parts of England have already been affected by heavy rains, with parts of Manchester seeing particularly bad flooding. According to the BBC, a tree fell onto overhead power lines that saw tram services suspended, while fire crews in the city received 120 emergency calls in just two hours.
Flash flooding was seen in Whaley Bridge, Disley, Saddleworth, Hyde and Mossley, with homes flooded and three flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency (EA) for the River Mersey at Cheadle Wood and Ford Lane, another near Stacksteads in Lancashire and a third at the River Irwell in the centre of Bacup.
Today (November 22nd), the EA has said road closures are likely and travel could be disrupted, with some properties also seeing flooding. Parts of the east English Channel coast could also see spray and overtopping as a result of large waves being driven by gale force winds.
River levels are now being closely monitored and the organisation is now working to reduce the flood risk by checking and maintaining defences, clearing blockages and checking water levels.
National flood duty manager Clare Dinnis said: “Storm Angus caused heavy rain over the weekend across large parts of the south and more heavy rain is forecast today and tomorrow across England. People in the south west and north in particular need to be prepared for the risk of flooding and we urge people check their flood risk on GOV.UK or call Floodline for advice on 0345 988 1188.”
A new survey from the Local Government Association has found that approximately one in three local highways authorities have had to close bridges or roads in the last 12 months because of flood damage, with 88 per cent now planning flood mitigation measures this season.
This includes using gully-sucking lorries, sandbags, community flood wardens, pumps and extra gully and drain inspections. Councils have also maintained their own stockpiles of gritting salt for the winter, with around 1.2 million tonnes available to be used.
And more than 1,000 army troops have been put on standby so as to come to the rescue if severe flooding does hit the country like it did last year with Storm Desmond, which saw record-breaking amounts of rain affect parts of the country like Cumbria.
In 2015, research from KPMG indicated that the economic impact of the flooding would exceed £5 billion. While some of the cost to local authorities would have been covered by insurance, the scale of the floods and the extent of the damage to local infrastructure suggested that the government would have to provide additional funding, excluding further investment in reinforcing flood defences.
If you’ve been affected by the floods, either last year or this week, and want to find out about post-tensioned concrete and more, call us at Freyssinet today.