Flood action groups
A flood action group is a group of volunteers who work on behalf of the wider community to try and reduce the impact of future flood events. There are at least 300 groups around the country, and Plymouth has an expanding network of active groups.
Benefits of community flood action groups
It is crucial for local authorities to work with communities if we are to tackle the climate emergency. Building flood resilience in communities is an important part of that adaptation process, and flood action groups help to build that resilience.
Having a flood action group within a community at risk of flooding can have many benefits:
- creating positive links with risk management authorities– this means that communities know the right people to talk to if there is an issue
- influencing decision makers – voicing concerns as a group is likely to have a greater influence on decision makers than those voicing concerns alone
- sharing valuable local flood knowledge – communities have valuable local flood knowledge that is essential for effective flood risk management
- planning for a flood event – this helps the group and the local community to be prepared for flooding, act quickly during a flood and to recover well after a flood
- increasing flood risk awareness – the group is able to raise flood risk awareness within the local community
- finding funding opportunities – if a group is constituted it may be able to access funding for safety and personal protective equipment
- strengthening community resilience – groups can use their skills to help the community cope with other emergencies or weather events as they arise
Flood action group roles
Every group is different and not all groups act in the same way. However, likely roles are:
Flood wardens
This is likely to be a practical role, including keeping an eye out for blocked drains and reporting them to the council, clearing debris from drains when it’s safe to do so, and gathering information about flooding to help the council fully understand the area’s flood risk.
Co-ordinators
These people may be the main contacts for passing on concerns to the council and they may have regular meetings with council representatives.
Focussing on planning
These people might focus on preparing a community flood action plan. This might include identifying elderly and vulnerable people who need extra help during a flood, finding the best way to communicate with local residents about flood risk, and establishing who to contact when there’s a problem.
Focussing on building relationships with key agencies
These people may attend meetings with MPs, ward councillors, the Environment Agency and the council to make sure that plans for flood risk management within the community’s area are appropriate.
Focussing on influencing decision makers
These people may be interested in wider issues relating to flooding, so might wish to be involved with discussing government policy changes or commenting on government consultations.
If you would like to get involved or would like to know more, contact bric@plymouth.gov.uk. More information is also available from the National Flood Forum, Communities Prepared and Devon Community Resilience Forum (part of Devon Communities Together).