The trouble with flooding - 3

From the BBC News 24 website today:

Hull's drainage system was overwhelmed in June when severe flooding affected the area, a report has said. The Independent Review Body's task was to establish the causes but also to see if lessons could be learned to prevent any future floods. The report also raised concerns about the city's storm drain pumps and a lack of co-operation between agencies. Hull was among several parts of the UK to suffer when two bouts of severe flooding struck in June and July. The city was hit in the June floods and saw an estimated 7,000 homes affected, with many of those evacuated.

Increased vulnerability

The interim report, written by senior staff at the University of Hull, looks at the geological reasons for the floods in the city, but also has a critical analysis of the co-operation between the Environment Agency, the city council, and other bodies in the immediate aftermath. The team of experts said the magnitude of the storm was greater than one in every 150 years. Hull's low lying position increased its vulnerability to flooding and the report said there should be additional levels of protection above and beyond a 1-in-30 year storm.

Blocked gullies did not appear to have been a major factor in the general flooding, although there were no contingency plans for the failure of the Bransholme pumping station or appropriate protection from flood waters, it found.

'Humanitarian disaster'

The authors said no one organisation was to blame for the problems, but it was critical of the lack of co-operation between the different agencies during the aftermath of the floods. More in-depth research and analysis will be undertaken by the group to come up with recommendations on the ways flood prevention and response can be improved. A final, more comprehensive, analysis is expected in November.

Hull City Council said at the time of the flooding the city was the victim of a "humanitarian disaster". It earmarked some £18m for repairs to the affected homes.