Nice to see the Environment Agency boss is finally back from his Carribean holiday

[pastafarian]

"Research by the official House of Commons library found that the amount spent on flood defences between 2007 and 2011 was £2.37billion, while the amount spent between 2011 and 2015 will be £2.34billion - a £247million cut in real terms."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...fence-cash-cut-by-250m-despite-PMs-claim.html

This cut, is neglect.

meh

its all about priorities,money spent abroad on flood defences and tackling climate change in other countries is more important.

 

[Soulman]

the problem is it isnt valid, it take half a fact and applies it to a situation incorrectly to make an ill-informed political (green) point. if you had 20k trees they might soak up 6" of rainfall over a few days in the middle of summer. this amount of water, in volume and short time scale, though wouldnt be dented.

Causes of flooding

Human causes:
Deforestation - Cutting down trees causes increased run-off (water flowing over the surface of the earth). Rain water reaches rivers faster. Flooding becomes more likely.
Urbanisation - Man-made surfaces such as concrete result in greater run-off. Rain water reaches rivers faster and can cause flooding.

Natural causes:
Heavy rainfall
Melting snow

Solutions to flooding

Afforestation - Planting more trees reduces run-off and increases interception.
Dams - Although very expensive, dams can significantly reduce the risk of flooding downstream
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/flooding.html

 

[Surf's Up]

Don't know if its been mentioned on here and can't be arsed to trawl back and find out but shirley this is no different to Jezza swanning off to Malta while his party goes down the pan - is it

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I remember the flooding in East Sussex in October 2000. The County Council had a whole shelf-full of emergency plans, to deal with all sorts of contingencies, including flooding. Most of these plans included assembling the key people in the bunker underneath County Hall, where discussions could take place and important decisions could be agreed.

The reality, however, was quite different. The mobile phone had been invented. Nobody showed up at the bunker. People went to Uckfield, where the town centre was under water. The Lewes floods happened the following day. Phone calls were made between all the agencies involved in dealing with the situation. Stuff was sorted as best it could be. But a combination of rain and tides meant that the flooding went ahead.

At no point, however, do I recall a need for anyone with operational responsibilities to sit in the same room as the Council's Chief Executive. We were all too busy.

 

[beorhthelm]

So you don't think cutting down trees and putting houses there instead, often on flood plains has anything to do with it then.

no, i dont think cutting down a few dozen trees in and around farm land to create house did anything. we dont have vast forests that are being pulled up for building houses, we build on already deforested areas. obviously, building on a flood plain does cause increase liklyhood of flooded houses.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Causes of flooding

Human causes:
Deforestation - Cutting down trees causes increased run-off (water flowing over the surface of the earth). Rain water reaches rivers faster. Flooding becomes more likely.
Urbanisation - Man-made surfaces such as concrete result in greater run-off. Rain water reaches rivers faster and can cause flooding.

Natural causes:
Heavy rainfall
Melting snow

Solutions to flooding

Afforestation - Planting more trees reduces run-off and increases interception.
Dams - Although very expensive, dams can significantly reduce the risk of flooding downstream
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/flooding.html

I agree with the urbanisation. People need to park their cars (plural) so concrete their front gardens instead of soil, plants and grass which soak up water.
Again farmers who plough the South Downs which isn't arable soil, but should be left for grazing, which then absorbs water into the water table.

There are many many reasons for flooding, so putting all the blame on money and flood defences is only a minute part of the problem.

 

[Soulman]

I agree with the urbanisation. People need to park their cars (plural) so concrete their front gardens instead of soil, plants and grass which soak up water.
Again farmers who plough the South Downs which isn't arable soil, but should be left for grazing, which then absorbs water into the water table.

There are many many reasons for flooding, so putting all the blame on money and flood defences is only a minute part of the problem.

Yep. The report i put up was from a good source, they certainly seem to be more credible than some of the views that deny the advantages of trees.

 

[beorhthelm]

"Research by the official House of Commons library found that the amount spent on flood defences between 2007 and 2011 was £2.37billion, while the amount spent between 2011 and 2015 will be £2.34billion - a £247million cut in real terms."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...fence-cash-cut-by-250m-despite-PMs-claim.html

This cut, is neglect.

the other morning the mayor or council leader of Manachester was making this point. when asked what specific projects or defenses could have been build to prevent flooding he couldnt name any. instead he started on about the fact we spend so much less than the Dutch on defenses, though the % seemed about 1/4 less, hardly alot when you consider their flood defense requirement. the money spent is not the issue, its what and where defenses are built. and once some defense is built it shouldnt need to be built again so the budget shouldnt stay constant, unless there is a specific need to for expenditure. you cant build defenses buy stuffing £ into sandbags.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

This cut, is neglect.

No it's just one small part of the overall austerity agenda. Tough/realistic choices have to be made. Rather a reduction in spending on flood defences than cuts to the NHS.

If only those selfish socialists would tell the government where the magic money tree is then we could have perpetual increases in spending on everything. Which is the left's answer to every issue/problem.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The responsibilities of the Head of the Environment Agency are to ensure that the organisation is properly structured to deal with any contingency, including flooding. Those responsibilities do not extend to owning a pair of wellies.

 

[beorhthelm]

Yep. The report i put up was from a good source, they certainly seem to be more credible than some of the views that deny the advantages of trees.

i dont deny the role of trees in hydrology, only deny the impact implied in the picture. to make a difference you need forests, and they were cleared centuries ago for farmland and firewood, not last year for housing development.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

In the meantime, Syrian refugees in Manchester, have been helping to build the flood defences by filling sand bags.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-britain-syrian-refugees-lend-a-helping-hand/


*ducks out of the way.

 

[Pavilionaire]

It's the government's job to keep us safe and secure. And they have wilfully neglected the flood defences.

Could the government have done more? Yes
Have they "wilfully neglected" our flood defences? No
Would it have made any difference if the boss had been in the UK? Not really, he has a deputy.
If I earned £100K a year would I cancel my annual holiday because of this? No way.

The Daily Mail's journalism is awful, it should be consigned to the dustbin, it's so petty, so class-based. They make out like the guy is on millions each year, living a life of luxury. The fact is he earns £100K a year which, while more than most people earn, is a mere 2 days work for Wayne Rooney.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

*ducks out of the way.

Indeed. The ducks have been enjoying what, to them, has been a spell of very fine weather.

 

[Soulman]

In the meantime, Syrian refugees in Manchester, have been helping to build the flood defences by filling sand bags.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-britain-syrian-refugees-lend-a-helping-hand/


*ducks out of the way.

Why "ducks out of the way"?.............. I have not seen any anti helping Syrian refugees, just the amount of economic migrants. Well done to the Syrian sand baggers.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Could the government have done more? Yes
Have they "wilfully neglected" our flood defences? No

How do you square doing more with cutting the budget?

 

[Pavilionaire]

How do you square doing more with cutting the budget?

Cumbria has had the biggest amount of rain fall in a 24-hour period in UK weather history, while other parts of the North have seem their records broken and the wettest winter in living memory.

You surely cannot blame the Tory government for that?

This is the sort of issue that makes me annoyed the EU is so dysfunctional and we've done so little to help. EU farmers get huge subsidies to produce food we don't consume and, in doing so, they doctor the land to promote agriculture at the expense of flood prevention. Is it any wonder the towns get flooded when the water often has nowhere to go?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Cumbria has had the biggest amount of rain fall in a 24-hour period in UK weather history, while other parts of the North have seem their records broken and the wettest winter in living memory.

You surely cannot blame the Tory government for that?

I'll ask again, how do you square doing more with cutting the budget? You said yourself the agency could have done more. So how do you square this?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

They make out like the guy is on millions each year, living a life of luxury. The fact is he earns £100K a year which, while more than most people earn, is a mere 2 days work for Wayne Rooney.

Owning a 1.5m flat in London and a 1m house in Barbados seems pretty luxurious to me.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

No it's just one small part of the overall austerity agenda. Tough/realistic choices have to be made. Rather a reduction in spending on flood defences than cuts to the NHS.

If only those selfish socialists would tell the government where the magic money tree is then we could have perpetual increases in spending on everything. Which is the left's answer to every issue/problem.

It's down the back of George Osbornes sofa, it's where he miraculously found that stray few millions the other week when he could not get his own way.
I fancy there are a few more millions there too, but he aint gonna spend it on the oiks.