Secretary of State Steve Reed met with Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy yestreday morning to discuss how to bolster the emergency response to Storm Bert.
During the meeting, the Secretary of State was briefed on the latest situation on the ground, and the 24/7 response being led by the Environment Agency and the emergency services.
He also sought reassurance on the actions being taken to further protect communities in the coming days with river levels expected to rise in some places. Together they also discussed how to bolster the response from the Environment Agency, emergency services and local authorities if required.
The meeting came after Storm Bert caused significant river and surface water flooding in parts of England over the weekend, especially in the South West, the West Midlands, and the Calder and Weaver Valleys in the North of England.
As of 11am on Monday 25th November, there was 1 severe flood warning, 137 flood warnings and 172 flood alerts in place. The Environment Agency estimates 23,400 properties have been protected, with heavy rain leading to around 100 properties being flooded.
Lessons learned from these floods are being fed directly into the new Floods Resilience Taskforce to speed up the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather.
The Taskforce brings together the Secretary of State and Floods Minister Emma Hardy with representatives from Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Mayoral Offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others.
Following the meeting, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said:
“This morning I held a meeting with the Environment Agency and am receiving regular updates on the response to flooding in parts of the country.
“My sympathies are with all of those who have been impacted by Storm Bert.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the outstanding work that the Environment Agency and emergency responders are doing to keep people safe.
“I urge people to check their flood risk, sign up for flood warnings and follow the latest guidance from emergency responders.”
Katharine Smith, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, commented:
“Significant river flooding impacts are expected in parts of the Midlands and South West England today as rivers respond to heavy rainfall following Storm Bert. Localised flooding impacts are also possible more widely across England, which may continue in places until Wednesday due to further heavy rain.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and will support local authorities in their response.
“We urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.”
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