News Item

Humber Rescue is now a national DEFRA Flood Response Team

January 2011

Humber Rescue is now a national DEFRA Flood Response Team and a crew are available to respond to any area of the country needing help in response to flooding.

Humber Rescue played their part in helping to rescue many people in the floods of 2007 and have developed the skills in line with the national standards set by DAFRA to become registered as part of the national response team.

In England, 5.2 million properties are at risk of flooding. Of these, 1.4 million are at risk from rivers or the sea, 2.8 million are at risk from surface water and 1 million are at risk from both. There are also an estimated 200 homes at risk of complete loss to coastal erosion in the next 20 years. It is possible 2,000 more could become at risk over this period.

The devastating impact of flooding was demonstrated during the summer 2007 floods. During these floods 13 people lost their lives, 7,000 people were rescued from flood waters by emergency services and 55,000 properties were flooded (48,000 households and 7,000 businesses). The floods also resulted in a cost of £3 billion to the insurance industry.

Who is responsible for managing the risks?

Defra has national policy responsibility for flood and coastal erosion risk management. Defra does not build or manage flood defences. Instead, government provides funding through grants to the Environment Agency and local authorities. The Environment Agency also administers grants for capital projects to local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards. The Environment Agency’s investment is guided by outcome targets over the current spending review period.