Managing Flood Risk
What is flood risk management?
Flooding from rivers or the sea is a natural hazard that has a major impact on people and the environment. 4.6 million people in England and Wales are at risk from flooding from rivers or the sea. Building in floodplains means there are now over 2.3 million properties in areas that could flood.
We cannot prevent floods, but we can manage the risk of flooding. Flood risk is a combination of two components: the chance (or probability) of flooding and the impact (or consequences) of flooding.
The effects of climate change causing rising sea levels and wetter, stormier winters will increase the risk of flooding.
In these case studies you will find out why flooding occurs and how we can manage flood risk in the future:
- The River Ouse in Uckfield, October 2000 (flooding in a small catchment)
- The River Severn in Bewdley, Autumn 2000 (flooding in a large catchment)
- Flooding in Wallasea
- Flooding in Carlisle, January 2005
