Flooding in the UK

Heavy rains flooded the UK earlier this week and forecasters say nearly a month's worth of more rain (70 mm) could fall by the end of the week.  There were more than 500 flood warnings and alerts in place and with cold weather coming, there may be treacherous freezing conditions as well.  A total of three people died in the flood over the weekend including a 21 year old girl, 50 year old man and a 77 year old man.  More than 100,000 people were  contacted via telephone, letter, or text message of the flood coming because they had signed up for the Environment Agency's free Floodline Warnings Direct system.  Train networks were closed down or delayed up to seven hours, while some residents just kayaked down the streets.  Residents were also warned to boil tap water for fear that the water may have been contaminated by the floods.  The Environment Agency estimated that 940 properties have been flooded since last Wednesday and also flood defenses in England and Wales have protected nearly 50,000 properties.

We just talked about floods in class on Tuesday and one of the statistics was that the United Kingdom has a 4.8% flood-prone population which isn't very high compared to Bangladesh at 80%.  Flood prone environments include areas that are low lying parts of major floodplains, low lying coasts and deltas, small basins, areas below unsafe or inadequate dams, low lying inland shorelines, and alluvial fans.  The article did not touch on if the area was flood prone, but they did mention how flood defenses protected nearly 50,000 properties which shows how MDCs have ways to prevent damage.  Overall the major physical cause of this flood was heavy excessive rainfall and they were lucky to have forecasting and warning systems in order to prepare for what was to come.  Insurers and the government are attempting to strike up a deal in order to help the residents get back on their feet, but as the water level continues to rise, people are getting more uneasy.  The insurers want the place a surcharge on all insurance premiums to create new funding to cover flooding, but they also want the government to back up any shortfalls during intense flooding; so far there has been no deal on that  The events that just happened in the UK shows why insurance is so important and it is also important for homeowners to learn their rights and what they can ask of insurance companies why they pay claims.

http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC121127-0000072/More-flooding-in-the-UK,-icy-weather-on-the-way