’One year on from Storm Babet and we are seeing yet more severe weather and flooding across the country,’ says boss
Flood Re’s interim chief executive Stuart Logue has issued a warning as this year’s Flood Action Week gets underway.
Flood Action Week, which runs from 14-20 October, coincides with the one-year anniversary of Storm Babet, which brought significant flooding across the country.
According to the Met Office, Storm Babet saw the third wettest three-day period in a series for England and Wales since 1891.
Logue said that his firm was continuing to see more severe weather and flooding across the country and that the use of Build Back Better was key.
The scheme offers people the opportunity to install property flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000 when repairing their properties after a flood.
Logue said: “One year on from Storm Babet and we are seeing yet more severe weather and flooding across the country, causing not only physical devastation to homes, but also placing a unique burden on the mental health and wellbeing of families who are affected.
“This acts as a stark reminder of the importance of our Build Back Better scheme where householders can access up to £10,000 to build resilience into their homes when carrying our flood repairs.”
Government warning
The government added that last month, heavy rainfall led to the first major incident in Autumn, with almost one thousand properties flooded.
Read: UK faces urgent need for flood education as storms increase in frequency
Read: Flood Re raises levy as part of changes to evolve scheme
Explore more risk management-related stories here, or discover more news here
Floods minister Emma Hardy explained the government was scrambling to repair the country’s battered defences.
“Flooding can be a destructive force that puts everything in life on hold,” she said.
“I’ve seen the impacts firsthand and am determined to ensure as much as possible others do not.
“Through the recent launch of our Floods Resilience Taskforce, this government is taking decisive action to accelerate the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather.”
She added: “This Flood Action Week, we must be all be proactive in taking steps to protect ourselves by checking our flood risk and signing up for flood warnings.”
No comments yet