Comment: Seven ways we can fight back against flooding Published on: 4 February 2016 Writing for The Conversation, Professor Chris Kilsby comments on how to better prepare for and adapt to flooding in the UK. , There is no panacea for flood events, but there a range of things we can either do better or start doing to mitigate or adapt to them. The recent UK floods caused by Storm Desmond in the first week of December 2015 were devastating on both sides of the Pennines. A 341mm of rain fell in 24 hours, and 405mm in 48 hours 鈥� another record. Tens of thousands of people had to evacuate their homes, there was widespread power loss after two substations were flooded, and transport links were shut down across the region. What made this flood especially severe is that the previous two months were very wet. Extreme weather events such as Storm Desmond tend not to occur in isolation and nor are they evenly spaced out. In Cumbria there had already been a cluster of previous storms and this was the big one. To manage such large floods we need to understand the sequence of events that occurs during a period of intense rainfall and how this may be changing. But we also need to learn to deal with the flood waters in ways that are affordable and sustainable. 1. Get to grips with climate change Every time an extreme weather event takes place, such as a flood or drought, people ask 鈥渨as that ?鈥� A better question to ask is 鈥淗ow much more likely are these events under a changed climate?鈥� So, if such a large event used to have an annual probability of occurrence of 1%, and that has now gone up to 2%, we could say that climate change has doubled the probability of it happening. This is crucial in preparing for future extreme weather events. 2. Make forecasting smarter There is a for cities to become 鈥渟mart鈥� in everything from traffic flows and energy use to weather hazards by gathering and analysing more real time data. But more specifically for flooding, water sensor networks and (local versions of what the Met Office and the Environment Agency already use across the UK) could help forecast extreme weather, giving communities more time to prepare. 3. Improve catchment management To combat the severe flooding that took place in Cumbria, alone is not sufficient. The level of flooding was so enormous that the entire landscape was saturated and any features installed , such as ponds or channels, would have been filled. But this kind of natural flood management has a key role to play in reducing small- to medium-sized floods. Green space, green roof tops, trees, permeable surfaces and above-ground water storage all can play a part. But they must be planned strategically to make an impact on surface flooding. River Foss flood barrier.
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