Sadly, its has not taken long for flooding to return to the UK. Following the winter of 2013/14, which saw saw some of the worst floods in living memory in different parts of the country, already the winter of 2015/16 looks set to break the records. It has certainly not started well, with possibly the single wettest day ever recorded in the UK* causing numerous rivers to flood and testing or overtopping newly-installed flood defences. Thousands of homes have been flooded in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders over the weekend, and over 50,000 properties, including two key hospitals, were left without mains power.
The BRE Trust is investing through the Resilience of the Built Environment programme in essential flood research (as reported here). The flood resilient repair project aims to enable the greater uptake of flood resilient repair approaches by homeowners, assisted by appropriate standards and contractors with the skills to deliver cost-effective measures.
One of the key outputs of this involves opening a demonstration project at the BRE Innovation Park (Watford). This will include the creation of a flood resilient home within the existing Victorian Terrace building. It will feature measures and approaches – such as flood-resisting doors and barriers, and the use of materials during repair work that are less susceptible to damage water in the future – that could be replicated throughout UK dwellings, improving their resilience to the effects of future flooding.
BRE is actively seeking partners to support this significant research project. Already organisations including major insurers and construction companies are involved.
To express interest or to learn more about the flood resilient repair project, please contact: Dr Stephen Garvin, Director BRE Centre for Resilience ([email protected] – 01355 576200)
* Provisional figures from a rain gauge in Honister in Cumbria show that 341mm rain fell in 24 hours (18:30 Friday- 18.30 Saturday). If verified, this will be a UK record for 24 hours.
See also – www.bre.co.uk/resilience