One in four UK homes at risk of flood, says RMS
Pastor Dale Morgan
One in four UK homes at risk of flood, says RMS*
24 Jun 2008 15:45:04 GMT
Source: Reuters
LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - A quarter of British homes, with a total
value of around 600 billion pounds ($1,178 billion), are at risk from
flooding caused by heavy downpours and rivers overflowing, a leading
disaster modelling firm said on Tuesday.
Yet many homeowners are unaware of the danger they face because the
government does not include properties at risk from overflowing drains
in the flood maps it provides to the public, Risk Management Solutions said.
"The Environment Agency's maps only tell part of the story about flood
risk in Britain," said Alice Stuart-Menteth, RMS's European flood model
manager.
"When you take into account surface water flooding, the picture becomes
more alarming because thousands more homes are exposed than the
Government suggests."
Around two-thirds of the damage caused by last year's floods -- the
worst to hit the UK in 60 years -- was due to drains being overwhelmed
by heavy rain, RMS said.
The insurance industry faces a bill of over 3 billion pounds from the
summer 2007 floods, which left large swathes of central and southern
England under water. Many families remain in temporary accommodation
because their homes are still being repaired.
RMS based its findings on a flood map it drew up based on
high-resolution satellite pictures of properties in areas identified as
being at risk of all kinds of flooding caused by intensely heavy rainfall.
The Association of British Insurers, the industry's trade body, has
warned that half a million homes at risk of flooding could become
uninsurable unless the government commits to a long-term plan to reduce
their exposure to flooding. (Reporting by Simon Challis; Editing by Paul
Bolding)