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The floods of autumn 2000 were possibly the worst that
Kent has suffered since 1927 and made life a misery for the people
that were affected by them.
Many people suffer material losses through flooding but there is
also a significant amount of human distress involved and general
health can suffer as a result.
Kent County Council is committed to developing effective flood
management strategies that deliver lasting solutions to the problem
and reduce the grief that flooding can cause. We work with district
councils and other organisations to achieve this.
The Environment Agency is promoting a co-ordinated approach to
flood risk management and Kent County Council, with district
councils, is dedicated to managing the threat and impact of
flooding in various ways.
Managing flood risk
The effective flood risk management of rivers (fluvial risk
management) needs to consider the whole process, from the point at
which rainfall first hits the ground, to the place where it is
finally discharged to the sea.
This often requires not only a full understanding of how the
physical process works but also how human activities, like urban
development and agriculture, can change it.
Flood risk management primarily evaluates the risk to people but
it must also consider technical and economic reasons for
intervening whilst taking environmental issues into account
too.
Managing floods can often have a significant impact on the
people living within a community and above all, effective flood
risk management needs the co-operation and support of the people
who will benefit from it.
The Environment Agency and the Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs offer a wide range of information designed to
raise awareness about flood risk.
This includes guidance for local communities on how to reduce
the disruption caused by flooding such as adapting buildings to
make them more flood resistant.
Flood risk maps, available from the Environment Agency, are a
valuable source of information.
Defending against flooding
Flood defences can have a significant impact on both the natural
and built environment and do not always offer a simple solution to
the problem.
While they may reduce the risk of flooding in one area, they can
increase the risk elsewhere.
They can also have a significant visual impact and can affect
wildlife habitats and other features.
They may need to be raised over time as the risk of flooding
increases and they often require maintenance.
Sustainable flood risk management can only be achieved by
working with the natural responses of the river basin.
Floods can only be managed, not prevented, and the community has
to learn to live with rivers and the associated risks.
Preparing for flooding
With heavy rainfall and peak river flows increasing in frequency
and magnitude, flood warnings are vital for people living in
high-risk areas.
These warnings are reliant upon a number of different systems
including weather forecasts from the Meteorological Office, weather
radar, and data from special telemetry systems operated by the
Environment Agency.
The media provides an important service during periods of heavy
rainfall and is a major part of the flood warning service that
keeps the public updated and informed.
Data collection during previous floods has also proved vital in
the management of flood risk and the updating of flood risk
maps. |