Caroline Russell AM has urged Mayor of London to draw up flood prevention plans to make London resilient to the rising threat of torrential rain and surface water flooding (1). London receiving almost a month’s rainfall in a matter of hours, the London Fire Brigade had to deal with 300 emergency flood incidents and Londoners faced widespread transport disruption(2). The Met Office has issued a further ‘amber warning’ of thunderstorms affecting the London area between 3-11pm today (3).
Caroline commented:
“Last night’s torrential rain revealed our vulnerability to extreme weather and the crucial importance of preventing and preparing for flooding. Many Londoners have woken up today to the misery of flooded homes and disrupted travel. Flood prevention and preparedness must be a top priority for the Mayor.”
“The increasing density of our city with more and more land built on to provide much needed homes and business premises means that our drains just can’t cope with the volumes of rainwater falling in these intense storms that are likely to become more frequent with climate change. The Mayor must act now to protect Londoners from the disruption caused by flooding. This means ensuring resilience of emergency services, preventing further loss of permeable land, incorporating creative drainage schemes in landscaping and planting many more trees.”
Caroline has also:
Urged the Government to tighten up front garden rules to reverse the trend of paved over front gardens with hard surfaces that is contributing to water run-off and localised flooding. (4)
Notes to editors
Caroline Russell AM is available for interview
1) Caroline Russell’s written question to Mayor’s Question Time on 22 June.
Whole river catchment approach to flood prevention
Caroline Russell
In light of the serious risks posed by surface water and river flooding in London, and the growing consensus for whole river catchment approaches to mitigating flood risk, will the Mayor as part of his climate adaptation responsibilities, draw up action plans for each of London’s thirteen river catchments?
2) ‘Travel disruption and floods in south East after thurnderstorms’ BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36603508
3) Met office amber warning for London region between 3-11pm today, Thursday 23rd June 2016 http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/#?tab=warnings&map=Warnings&zoom=5&lon=-3.50&lat=55.50&fcTime=1466636400®ionName=se