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Flooding threat must be taken seriously
Following The ET’s article about flooding, would it be possible to put the dangers of flooding into context for people living in Peterborough?
We have neighbours here who have already been refused house insurance by certain insurers. How they and we will be able to insure our houses after the proposed end of the current government scheme with the insurance firms next year remains to be seen.
During the 1997 flood we had the River Nene within about 20 feet of our front door. I think I am correct in saying that in an article from a local source there was a statement that in one year recently, Peterborough was to get the massive sum of £30,000 for training and leaflets from central Government.
It would not do very much in buying bricks to form defences against the river when it floods again. Possibly the leaflets could be used to bung holes and spaces for a few doors, but forming effective defences – I very much doubt it.
Some years ago we had MP Elliot Morley, then an environment minister, tell us in effect that we were not a high priority in the government scheme of things for protection against flooding.
In Northampton, the Government did eventually, very reluctantly, spent £7 million on improving flood defences. We already belong to the warning system.
In the current situation, it looks very much as if the city and its residents are going to have to fend for themselves for any protection that is available against the floods coming into their homes.
What can happen, of course, is that any developer of a scheme in any of the flood-prone areas shall be required to include adequate flood defences for both the development and nearby properties.
If this is done sensibly in the form of, say, providing approach roads that are raised above the current ground level, they could provide a barrier which will last for some years – bearing in mind that the water level all over the world is due to rise because of global warming.
In the recent past there have been anti-flooding exercises involving city council staff held here.
It was scarcely reassuring to hear one of the managers involved say that on the day the exercise would be held he intended to be on leave.
The response of the residents to a meeting held by the previous Liberal Democrat mayor in the council chamber to a meeting on flooding was also scarcely reassuring.
The town hall and all the official departments fielded several staff each and they outnumbered collectively the five residents who bothered to turn up and listen to the meeting.
The only good thing that may come out of this is that if the leader of the council gets his way we will have river taxis. They will be available for rescuing people and animals from flooded houses in the town in what will then be Peterborough on Sea
Phil Pumphrey
Thorpe Lea Road,
Peterborough
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
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