SRA Annual Report 2023-24: Community flood warning systems
The aim of this project is to create very localised early flood warning systems, working together with communities and Environment Agency specialists. In some places known as ‘rapid response’ catchments, where water levels can rise very quickly when there is heavy rain, flooding can put people’s lives at risk.
Therefore, in a few test areas, known to be vulnerable to rapid flooding, local people have picked out some telltale sites for gathering information during times that are very wet. At such sites, painful experience has shown that if x is happening with water now, then it is very likely that problems downstream can be expected very soon. Telltale sites like this have been kitted out with flood gauges and other equipment linked to online dashboards so that local people can monitor what is going on, get alerts and get prepared. The mechanisms being used to transmit data from some very rural sites are pushing at the edges of what is technologically possible.
In 2023-24, this project progressed through scoping exercises, local surveys and installations of equipment. Places now involved include Comberow and Roadwater, Monksilver, Sampford Brett and Croscombe. After 16 villages and hamlets in the River Cam valley in the east of Somerset were badly affected by a Major Incident of flooding in May 2023, with around 180 properties flooding inside, sites at North Cadbury, Pitcombe, Shepton Montague and Blackford were added.
The project team has been working with local people to establish ways of using information from online dashboards to improve communities’ flood preparedness and resilience. Around Porlock, Wadeford, and Forton and Tatworth, suitable sites are still being investigated.