Message to people in flooded areas - What happens next?

Maybe something like this?

• The Environment Agency will continue to claim flooding was caused by 'exceptional rainfall'
• Angry flood victims will express disbelief (with vigour) drawing attention to neglected watercourses, failure of defences etc.
• Environment Agency may dispatch travelling Road Shows in an attempt to 'explain the circumstances' and to suppress dissent.
• Environment Agency will set up local Flood Risk Action Groups (under a tame Chairman and funded by EA) and Community Support Groups, with the objective of proving that EA actions/inactions did not exacerbate the flooding (the term orchestrated whitewash comes to mind here)
• After 18 months, the FRAG  will be disbanded and the CSG's cast adrift, but there is the possibility that a 'Flood Forum' will rise from the ashes (again generously funded by the EA) (actually your money)

Please remember

• The Environment Agency is responsible for flood defence
• The EA spend your money on 'flood risk management' and CFMP's
• 'Risk' is combination of 'probability' and 'consequences'

In my opinion

• The Environment Agency have neglected watercourse maintenance for ten years (since they took over from the NRA)
• The climate may be changing, but the Laws of Physics have not!
• Water with nowhere to go causes flooding
• The same water can cause flooding later in different areas (while making its way to the sea)
• The EA have now replaced 'flood defence' with 'flood risk management' because the latter can be conducted from a keyboard in a safe, warm, dry office remote from the event(s).
• Failure to maintain watercourses increases the probability of flooding.
• We need a dedicated and independent 'Flood Defence Department' with a duty to maintain watercourses, not just responsibility!

Ewan Larcombe 1/8/2007