erranta Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Environment Agency (EA)Five million people living in Two Million Properties (>10% of UK Housing) have homes in flood risk areas, but more than 40 percent are unaware of the threat, according to the agency's research. In the long term, this situation could worsen, unless we take action to reduce flood risk to people and property. Climate change will increase winter rainfall, the frequency of heavy rainfall, and sea levels and storm surge heights. With no change in Government policies or spending, climate change could increase the number of properties at risk of flooding to 3.5 million. Furthermore, continued pressure on land could mean even more new developments being situated in floodplains. The agency's research found that two-thirds of people in flood risk areas said they were unlikely to take any precautions to protect themselves or their homes, while a third did not know whether their insurance policies covered flood damage. You could easily buy one of these flood-plain houses, without knowing - remember that! Amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libitina Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 I'm sure you'd find out when you tried to insure it. Also, would you not be able to sue if the previous owners didn't disclose it? Even if it last flooded a 100 years or so ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patprimer74 Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 You could easily buy one of these flood-plain houses, without knowing - remember that! Amazing! You'd be an idiot if you did because you can search the records here!! Flood Map p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 I'm looking to move house next year, and how close houses are to the main river in the area is very high up on my list of priorities - I wouldn't consider moving to somewhere where the risk was high. Seems strange that people wouldn't be aware - would the survey/solicitors' searches give you no information on this? We have flood warnings all over Scotland today, as it has rained solidly for days http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/warnings/index.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTBagain Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 When you are looking to buy a house close to a lovely river setting, just look at the local bridge, especially if it is an old one. They often have flood high water markers on them. There are several around here Bath / Bristol because the R. Avon and Seven have been known to flood! These posts can be quite scarey. One I know near Tewkesbury is about 8 feet high with the last flood marked at over 6 feet of water. Gives a real feel for the impact. The post is about 100 yards from the river too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamconfusedagain Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 You could easily buy one of these flood-plain houses, without knowing - remember that! Amazing! Funny this thread came up i was just looking at the flood maps this morning. Does anywhere give information about areas that would be under threat if sea levels begin to rise. I guess its a bit over the top, and it could probably be worked out easily enough, but it would be interesting to see where would be under water if things went tits up cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhifoe Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Funny this thread came up i was just looking at the flood maps this morning. Does anywhere give information about areas that would be under threat if sea levels begin to rise. I guess its a bit over the top, and it could probably be worked out easily enough, but it would be interesting to see where would be under water if things went tits up cheers The ordnance survey site allows you to see how far you are above sea level: http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTBagain Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) Check this out from the Scottsman. I might go buy some property in Scotland, demand will be HUGE!! http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=710322005 Edited October 12, 2005 by FTBagain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underpressuretobuy Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 You'd be an idiot if you did because you can search the records here!! Flood Map p Just tried searching the records but nothing came up. Is it just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Charlie The Tramp Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Now here`s a good site. Flood, subsidence, and if you are sitting on or near a past or present landfill. My house is perfectly located thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest growl Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Someone mentioned insurance before and previous owners? When we moved into our village five years ago there was terrible flooding twice. There is a river that runs straight through and we are surrounded by hills. It flooded two years on the row, and twice in the second year. The river which is dry most of the time feeds off the Bourne and possibly Avon. So when one of these flooded it broke into our river. Also the water poured down from the hills. The dry river bed had not been dredged for twenty years. So most of the main road through the village was under water and the police cordoned it off from motorists who did not live there. At the begining of the village. Three new houses were built about a couple of years before the flood. One of the properties was sold two months before the worst of the floods. New carpets were laid, nice furniture blah blah. After most of the downstairs was under water. The new owners tried to sue the previous owners for the damage and the fact that flooding had never come up. The rumour that circulated was that because it had been fifty years since the previous flood and these were new houses that had never been flooded before. That the new owners got nothing. We live above the flood level. Way above. I made sure of it. Rivers are nice, but not when they are in your living room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marina Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 As well as all the usual suspects ... I was talking to someone a while ago who told me her husband was in the process of developing a site which told you if your house was in an area affected by radiation and which would also tell you how many mobile phone masts were in whatever distance and what cumulative effect they would have etc. Haven't seen it surface yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erranta Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 Norwich Union worked with Intermap to collect data using an airborne radar system, to produce the Digital Elevation Model - which shows the height of the ground above sea level. This was combined with a software model provided by JBA Consulting to produce the final map showing where floods are likely to occur, how they can spread and how far they can extend.Gill Holland, operations director for the National Flood Forum, said: "New data that better informs people about the risks of flooding is essential. The mapping will not prevent the emotional stress and trauma caused by actual floods, but will help those communities where only a small number of houses and businesses are affected by flooding, but the entire postcode area has effectively been denied insurance." "When you consider that more than £200 billion of property, land and assets are at risk of flooding, the need for accurate and detailed information is crucial. The wetter winters that are predicted as a result of climate change may double the frequency of inland floods within the next fifty years." Information from the flood map will be used to make changes to existing customers' premiums as their policies are renewed. New customers should call Norwich Union Direct on 0800 092 9561 or speak to their insurance broker. More information about the flood map is available at http://www.aviva.com/media or by emailing floodmap@norwich-union.co.uk. Notes to editors: (1) Figure = Estimate of how many more properties that Norwich Union believes it can offer insurance to in future due to information from the flood map. (2) Environment Agency Norwich Union is a sponsor of the Ideal Home Show which is taking place at Earls Court, London from the 10th March - 14th April. Further information about: Intermap Intermap is building an unprecedented database, called NEXTMap, of highly accurate digital topographic maps (including elevation). Customers purchase Intermap's high-quality, low cost data to facilitate better decision-making for numerous commercial, governmental, military and consumer applications. JBA Consulting JBA Consulting undertakes specialised work on flood defence management, river engineering and geographical information systems throughout the UK and overseas. HR Wallingford HR Wallingford is the leading specialist organisation in the UK for hydraulics in civil engineering. HR Wallingford developed the method for predicting flood levels for the flood mapping which has been implemented by JBA Consulting. The Norwich Union flood map was verified by HR Wallingford. Some more blurb to follow up (from 2004) Can't find a link for aviva 'digital-map' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erranta Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 Fed-up with overcharging UK Hotels/B&B's?? Need a change of scenery?? Then "why not take your home with you?" Floating House, Amsterdam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShirtyTheSlightlyAggresiveBear Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 You might actually be in a flood free zoned area when you buy and find years later that you have now been rezoned 'unofficially'. When developers move in and ship in large amounts of earth, raising the land level of certain development areas, existing home owners nearby suddenly discover that flood waters that previousily would of settled elsewhere (the new build location), end up flooding the existing places. Local councils dont seem to have much influence or control over this practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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