In Scotland, flood warnings are available on SEPA’s website www.sepa.org.uk
For the first time the public can access up-to-the-minute flood warnings in England and Wales, 24 hours a day through the internet at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodwarning. The new flood warning service comes one year on from the launch of online floodplain maps at the height of last Autumn’s floods, when nearly a million people logged onto the service on day one to check if they were in a flood prone area. During last Autumn’s floods a total of 1,437 flood warnings were issued, of which 190 were severe flood warnings.Special features on the flood warning website include:- National summaries of flood warnings in force for the whole of England and Wales, as well as regional summaries- Search by map, town, postcode or nearest river- Flood warning history – the last five flood warnings recorded for each area- Maps of flood warning areas covered by the new serviceSupporting information – TV and radio stations that broadcast flooding information, and quickdial numbers to make it easier to use The site is the first Government web system built to withstand one million hits a day and to offer 24-hour automatic updating, every 15 minutes.The new service is part of the Environment Agency’s programme to improve public access to vital information about flooding and to increase awareness about flood risk, enabling people to prepare and protect themselves. It is available in English and Welsh.The system is believed to be unique in Europe in being able to join up multiple data sources used for generating voice and fax alerts into a single system which fires warning messages electronically to the Internet. The internet is one of a number of ways the Environment Agency issues flood warnings – you can also call the Agency’s 24-hour Floodline 0845 988 1188 for recorded flood warning summaries. Warnings are also broadcast on many local and national TV and radio stations.
December 2001 sees Phase 1 of the project. It will display flood warnings in designated flood warning areas covering 1,300 locations in England and Wales, providing information to some 1.17 homes and businesses. Phase 2 of the project will be launched in 2002, and will extend the service to the whole floodplain covering 1.9 million properties.
In Scotland, flood warnings are available on SEPA’s website www.sepa.org.uk