Flood report: Urgent action needed to prevent further disaster

Guardian Unlimited

Summary:
The risks of flooding have increased over the years because of the impact of climate change. That is why urgent and fundamental changes are needed in the way that the country is adapting to this problem. Sir Michael Pitt wrote a report on the June and July floods of last year. In this report he wrote a plan of action to improve the country’s flood resilience over the next two years.

Mr. Pitt made 92 recommendations in his 400-page report. These recommendations included:
- There should be a committee that will tackle the risk of flooding.
- The Environment Agency and the Met Office should work together to improve the weather
forecasts and provide warnings.
- There is more work to be done to protect critical infrastructure against flooding.
- The public should have a flood kit, which includes personal documents, insurance policy, a
mobile phone, a first-aid kit, blankets etc.
He said that four-fifths of the recommendations could be placed under existing budgets.

Opinion:
Flood can cause a lot of damage. That is why it is good to think ahead and start making a plan on what to do when a flood occurs. If you have a good plan, less people will get hurt in times of trouble. In Holland the people know a lot about flooding. Because the country is below sea level, the risk of flooding is greater they have taken a lot of precautions to prevent as much flooding as possible. When a flood does occur, the authorities know exactly what to do. The British authorities should look at the Dutch emergency plan for floods. Then they would not have to re-invent the wheel.