Abstract
When a flood threatens an existing property such as a dwelling or business, the owner must decide what action to take to minimise the dangers, damage, and inconvenience. Extensive material is available related to options for managing the flood vulnerability of individual properties before, during, and after floods. These sources offer comprehensive information on the possibilities which exist but rarely develop tools for determining which option might be the most appropriate in given circumstances
This chapter discusses the need for, and provides some simple tools for, understanding decision-making for flood-threatened properties. The focus is on individual properties which might be threatened by floodwater, imminently (existing properties) or in the future (existing or planned properties). The decisions addressed are: • Emphasising dry or wet flood resistance: to seal or not to seal an individual property? • Reducing recovery duration: should property components be removed from the property before the flood, replaced after the flood, or dried and cleaned after the flood? • Implementing resilient reinstatement: resilient reinstatement should be a social, not property-orientated, solution. Then, the implications for the wider community context are elaborated The U.K. is used as the main case study. The discussion helps to consolidate available information in order to produce useful analytical approaches which any property owner could use. The key is to make each property owner their own expert rather than forcing them to rely on experts
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
ABI (1999) Memorandum by the association of British insurers on the Environment Agency (EA 55) to the select committee on environment, transport and regional affairs. http://www.parliament.the-stationery-ffice.co.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmenvtra/829/829m46.htm. Cited 9 August 2002
BB&V (2001) Sussex Ouse: 12th October 2000 flood report, Executive summary, BB&V (Binnie Black & Veatch) for the EA (Environment Agency), England and Wales
Bramley M, Bowker P (2002) Improving local flood protection to property. Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. 150(special issue 1):49–54
BRE (1997) Repairing flood damage, Good repair guide 11: Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4, BRE (Building Research Establishment Ltd.), document number CI/SfB (H16) (W7)
BRESL (1996) Design guidance on flood damage to dwellings, report prepared for The Scottish Office Construction and Building Control Group by BRESL (the Building Research Establishment Scottish Laboratory). The Scottish Office, Development Department, Edinburgh
CIRIA (2004) Information from CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association). http://www.ciria.org.uk/flooding. Cited 2004
Crichton D (2001) The implications of climate change for the insurance industry. Building Research Establishment, Watford, England
Crichton D (2003a) Flood risk and insurance in England and Wales: are there lessons to be learnt from Scotland? Benfield Hazard Research Centre Technical Paper Number 1. http://www.benfieldhrc.org/SiteRoot/activities/publications.htm. Cited 7 February 2004
Crichton D (2003b) Temporary local flood protection in the United Kingdom – An independent assessment. Benfield Hazard Research Centre Miscellaneous Paper. http://www.benfieldhrc.org/SiteRoot/activities/publications.htm. Cited 7 February 2004
DTLR (2002) Preparing for floods. DTLR (Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions). http://www.safety.dtlr.gov.uk/bregs/floods/index.htm. Cited 27 February 2002
EA (2001) Lessons learned: autumn 2000 floods EA (Environment Agency), Report, England and Wales
EA (2004) Information from the EA (Environment Agency). http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk. Cited 2004
EA/CIRIA (2001a) After a flood: how to restore your home. EA (Environment Agency) and CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association), Booklet 0901/BGIV
EA/CIRIA (2001b) Damage limitation: how to make your home flood resistant. EA (Environment Agency) and CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association), Booklet 1201/BGIU
Etkin D (1999) Risk transference and related trends: driving forces towards more mega-disasters. Environ Hazards 1:69–75
Experian Limited (2000) Great Britain MOSAIC, descriptions along with separate data tables for flood damage. Experian, Nottingham, England
Floodforum.net (2002) A web-based online debate commissioned by the U.K.’s Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. http://www.floodforum.net (no longer available). Cited 21 January to 17 February 2002
Hubert G, Deutsch J-C, Desbordes M (c. 1996) Policy decision support systems: modelling of rainfall flood damages, chapter 3. In: Penning-Rowsell E (ed) Improving flood hazard management across Europe, European union environment programme. Contract Number EV5V-CT93-0296, EUROFlood II
Islam KMN (1997) The impacts of flooding and methods of assessment in urban areas of Bangladesh, Ph.D. thesis, Flood Hazard Research Centre, Middlesex University, London
Kato F, Torii K-i (2002) Damages to general properties due to a storm surge in Japan. In: Proceedings of the solutions to coastal disasters conference, American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE), San Diego, California, 24–27 February 2002, pp159–171
Kelman I (2001) The autumn 2000 floods in England and flood management. Weather 56(10):346–348, 353–360
Kelman I, Spence R (2003a) A flood failure flowchart for buildings. Proc Inst Civ Eng—Munic 156(ME3):207–214
Kelman I, Spence R (2003b) A limit analysis of unreinforced masonry failing under floodwater pressures. Masonry International 16(2):51–61
Kelman I, Spence R (2004) An overview of flood actions on buildings. Eng Geol 73(3–4):297–309
Lewis J (1979) Vulnerability to a natural hazard: geomorphic, technological and social change at Chiswell. Dorset, Working Paper 37, Natural Hazards Working Papers. University of Colorado, Colorado
Lewis J (1999) Development in disaster-prone places: studies of vulnerability. Intermediate Technology Publications, London
Lewis J (2004) Information from datum international. http://www.livingwithflooding.co.uk. Cited 2004
NFF (2004) Information from NFF (National Flood Forum). http://www.floodforum.org.uk. Cited 2004
N’Jai A, Tapsell SM, Taylor D, Thompson PM, Witts RC (1990) FLAIR 1990 (Flood Loss Assessment Information Report). Middlesex Polytechnic Flood Hazard Research Centre, London
Orme M, Liddament MW, Wilson A (1998) Numerical data for air infiltration and natural ventilation calculations, Document AIC-TN-44-1994, Technical Note AIVC 44, AIVC (Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre) Coventry, Oscar Faber Group Ltd on behalf of the International Energy Agency
Penning-Rowsell EC, Chatterton JB (1977) The benefits of flood alleviation: a manual of assessment techniques. Gower, Aldershot
Penning-Rowsell EC, Green CH, Thompson PM, Coker AM, Tunstall SM, Richards C, Parker DJ (1992) The economics of coastal management: a manual of benefit assessment techniques. Belhaven Press, London
SEPA (2004) Information from SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency). http://www.sepa.org.uk. Cited 2004
Torterotot JP, Kauark-Leite LA, Roche P-A (1992) Analysis of individual real-time responses to flooding and influence on damage to households. In: Saul AJ (ed) Floods and flood management. Papers presented at the 3rd international conference on floods and flood management, 24–26 November 1992 in Florence, Italy, Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht and London, 363–387
USACE (1996) Risk-based analysis for flood damage reduction studies, Manual No. 1110-2-1619, USACE (United States Army Corps of Engineers) Washington, DC
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kelman, I. (2007). Decision-Making for Flood-Threatened Properties. In: Begum, S., Stive, M.J.F., Hall, J.W. (eds) Flood Risk Management in Europe. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4200-3_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4200-3_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4199-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4200-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)