More than 300 homes have been flooded inside north of England after almost twice the standard rainfall for September drenched areas of St Helen’s in Lancashire and Morpeth in Northumberland in 48 hours.
Flood warnings and alerts stay in place in elements of north of manchester and south-west of England.
What does a flood warning mean?
The Met Office, Environment Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency all offer advice for the public on any threat posed by the elements.
The Met Office warns the public about “severe or hazardous weather containing the possibility to result in danger someone’s or widespread disruption” through its National Severe Weather Warning Service. Warnings could be issued for rain, snow, wind, fog and ice and so are given a colour for that likely this can be a weather event will occur precisely what impact it may have. Green means no tornados; yellow ups the ante to “be aware”; amber means “be prepared”; red means “take action”.
The Environment Agency issues flood risk announcements for England with three variety of severity: flood alerts (meaning “flooding is attainable, be prepared”); flood warnings (“flooding is required, immediate action required”); and severe flood warnings (“severe flooding, danger to life”).
It issues these across seven regions: Anglia, the Midlands, the north-east, the north-west, the south-east, the south-west, and Wales. On its website you can look at specific flood risk locations and examine maps. In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency issues alerts on a single scale.
For those invoved with areas at risk of flooding, it’s a good idea to join up for the Environment Agency’s Floodline, a no cost service which sends information on your phone or email when flooding is anticipated.
What will the emergency services do?
Emergency services really don’t automatically must act if a flood alert has long been issued, however they will monitor potentially affected areas more closely. Local authorities work with law enforcement, fire and rescue services along with the Environment Agency to co-ordinate responses during severe flooding.
If there is a major flood incident, this is the police who co-ordinate the emergency services and assist with the evacuation of an individual off their homes where necessary (they will likely also issue warnings to motorists and shut roads where necessary). The fire service is primarily in charge of saving lives, however it may additionally pump out floodwater (speak to your local prefer to ask after this