Support » Risk Assessment
A key part of putting together a Community Flood Plan is assessing the risks faced by the community and considering what action volunteer flood wardens could take to avert an emergency without putting themselves in danger. Local knowledge is key. For example, local volunteers know which drains or culverts might become overwhelmed by flood water, where vulnerable people live and the likely places where a road might flood. And whilst residents who experience flooding themselves are not likely to be available to assist the wider community in a flood event, they are a very good source of information and advice in preparing risk assessments and a community plan. They may also be keen to assist in the preparatory or flood alert stages of the plan eg keeping a watch on drains in their area and reporting problems to the flood group co-ordinator.
Here are two ways you might assess your risk:
- Complete a desk top risk assessment at a meeting with wardens and/or the Parish/Town Council following a consultation with residents
- Get together your flood group and/or other interested parties and take a walk around your area, noting down potential risks and asking members of the community as you go along.
In both cases you will find it useful then to note the risk areas on a map. You can find flood risk maps of your community on the Environment Agency’s website: https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/long-term-flood-risk/map
A combination of the two methods above might produce the best results for you. Next you need to choose how to respond to your risks so that tackling them in a responsible manner forms the backbone of your community plan.
