Could We Have Prevented the 2014 Flooding in the UK?

It really feels like we’ve seen it all this year. Heavy rain, storms and coastal surges have turned the country on its head and flooded large areas of land all across the UK. Thousands of homes have been affected by the storms, with hundreds of families being left deviated as water flooded through their homes. The question needs to be raised, was there anything we could have done to prevent the flooding?

Underground Drainage

If the UK had more extensive underground drainage systems then a lot of ground water could have been displaced and contained, preventing unnecessary flooding due to water logged land. Action towards this would have needed to happen on both a domestic and government level. Homeowners should ensure that their gutters connected to the underground drainage system and the government needs to ensure that these systems are working properly and regularly maintained.

The more advanced these systems the greater the chance at preventing flooding across the board. There are several types of underground drainage available, so do the research to find out which is best for your property.

Advanced Warning

Although you can argue that we would need months of warning in order to prepare for the floods, advanced warning and action would definitely have helped in certain situations. The fact that any help came after the floods had begun turned it into more of a rescue effort and flood clear-up than assistance. In poorer areas of the country, where the flooding was most prominent, nothing was done for days or even weeks and when help did come it was very much a case of locking the door after the horse has bolted.

Collecting Rainwater

While this may not have helped in areas where flooding was rife, it could have helped to prevent the rise in groundwater. If every household introduced rainwater butts then there could have been up to 50L of water being contained per home. On a street of 25 houses that’s 1,250 litres of water being contained rather than soaked into the ground – that’s around 5 bathtubs full!

If this was done on a larger scale then even more water would be saved, preventing both flooding and helping to eliminate any future problems with water scarcity. This water can either be purified for drinking water or used to water gardens or wash cars, during dry months.

Building More Defences

The existing flood defences Britain had in place simply were not enough to hold back the tides of floods we experienced. In certain areas they definitely helped to stem the scale of flooding, but there are huge holes in the defences which need to be filled. More canals, dikes and levees need to be built in order to prevent rivers overflowing onto floodplains where large amounts of housing has been built.

Theoretically we could have prevented the flooding in 2014, although a lot of time and money would have had to be thrown at it. However, you can start preparing for if this happens again by installing underground drainage in your home and encouraging people to begin collecting rainwater. Every little thing you do can make a difference to the next time Britain floods.

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