December 2017, 2 years since.....
Two Years and Counting – is anybody making a note?
Thoughts upon post “Desmond” Flood Risk Management progress by John Kelsall, Chair of the Cumbria River Authorities Governance Group (CRAGG)
Not all anniversaries hold happy memories. Certainly not for the many thousands of people affected by Storm Desmond on 5 December 2015 and the ensuing damage and destruction revealed at dawn on 6th across the County. The statistics appeared to be off the scale, highest peak levels, greatest damage, most bridges lost, greatest recovery cost – the list goes on, but then they would be, because it appears such statistics are not recorded and retained anywhere except by exceptional research, and this has become a recurrent theme of incredulity between residents, businesses, authorities and stakeholders. The wisdom gathered following two years of investigation is that there has been no wisdom.
History tells us Desmond was an extreme weather event but not that it was “unprecedented”. The Armageddon imagery is as untrue as it is unhelpful. Records were broken largely because no one is keeping a record so there was little or nothing to break other than what sits within ‘living-memory’ ie 2005, 2009 and may be stretching to 1968 etc. Carlisle, as the County example with probably the most records, we know flooded in a similar scale to Desmond on 10 previous occasions since 1771. So if someone is going to keep a note a bit of historical documentation would not go amiss to set the correct context.
So what does that tell us? Well, essentially we are not that good at Flood Risk Management. It seems on every such occasion there is some twiddling with the edges of the issue but no fundamental strategy emerges perhaps because the problem is deemed too big to tackle, too expensive, financially and in human effort and anyway by the time it happens again we will have moved to higher ground or, maybe it won’t happen again!!
History, however also tells us that flood risk management was actually far more productive and effective between the mid 19th century and the 1960’s. Farmers gathered together with local authorities to dig out gravel ‘catch pits, keeping the rivers un-choked, improving the fish habitat and gaining useful building material into the bargain. Where has this practical self-help gone? It’s gone to the sword of regulation. Miss-placed environmental regulation, not least recent European Directives have strangled the small local systems, that were at least doing their bit, into non-existence. Gone has the priority of “People-Property-Environment Betterment” to be replaced by a system that largely works in reverse.
Whether it is because the image and memories of such extreme flood events are so painful and debilitating that they are deliberately suppressed in order to ‘get on with life’ or that it falls to the remit of no particular agency to make an honest and frank archive of such events, is debatable but what is for certain is that the recurrent theme of resilience in the face of disaster and indomitable public spirit saving the day are themes that stick in my throat and I’m sure of many others to. This is not being pessimistic, negative or devoid of community spirit, it is pure observational experience. The authorities, and I include local and national Government, the Environment Agency, DEFRA as well as the wider media, are all guilty of misinterpreting the brave smile of a resident standing thigh deep in their soaked possessions that was once a home as stoic resilience in the face of adversity but it is not really the face of “resilience” it is a mask to hide a deep vulnerability.
As a society we seem to be unable to find the right words or do the right thing and the words used become crass, meaningless and ultimately hurtful. People carry on but ‘on the edge’.
This is not resilience, people do not just ‘bounce back’ they are emotionally variable, they do not get their guts and ability to take hard times from their environment or their gene pool – they are not hardy or weak they are just people with all the mental and physical variables of being human – end of. The beaming smile of the flood victim covers the tears and breaking emotions within – a glossy spin emerges to appalling devastation when no words can express such circumstances.
These are the main reasons why, for example, Carlisle Flood Action Group (CFLAG) came into being and another 50 or so similar groups set up or re-ignited across the county, each with different emphasis on individual issues but all united that the repeated occurrences of serious flooding was simply not acceptable, reasons had to be brought out into the open and a serious public debate commenced to engender real change. Waiting for ‘living-memory to placate was not an option.
Some groups took on local problem issues, some concentrated upon safety plans and some property protection measures. Carlisle, as the scale of the problem was so large, could only see benefit in a whole catchment strategic solution. CFLAG’s post-Desmond first anniversary action was to assemble observations in a report “Desmond 12 months on” (available via the CFLAG website). This report and the visions it contained pulled no punches and remains virtually as valid now as it was 12 months ago, an informing read it has been read across the country by ministers and government and copies and discussion has even been witnessed being debated internationally. So, to mark this dark 2nd anniversary I write, hopefully, with some positivity of how the community in the county is able to now speak with one voice, even if that voice is echoing what most community groups and individuals are saying – “where are the flood risk management projects we need and why is it taking so long?” Where is that long overlooked strategy to minimise the misery?
Carlisle Flood Action Group’s first AGM was opened out to any other groups who were interested in the strategic debate. Representatives from the Derwent and South Lakes catchments attended but a major issue was how to find contact details for other groups to discuss common issues. Casting the knowledge net as wide as we could a total of 7 groups attended a meeting in Penrith in January 2017 but they crucially also represented most of the worst affected locations including Keswick, Workington and Kendal. Those that attended that meeting unanimously voted to amalgamate a group across the county to carry a united front for community expectation across the county. The Cumbria Rivers Authorities Governance Group (CRAGG) was born representing all flood victims across the county via their local groups, farmer links and Parish Councils.
The Environment Agency and the County Council, as Lead Local Flood Authority, are required by the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) to involve the community in their decisions and processes. CRAGG was eventually recognised as a ‘community voice on flooding’ for the county and members were elected to join the new Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership and the three Catchment Management Groups. All have the three catchment communities represented where they can hopefully influence the urgent need for the flood risk management projects in direct discussion with the Environment Agency, LLFA and all river and water implicated stakeholders.
The CRAGG group is, however, very conscious that the Cumbria Strategic Group, currently chaired by the LLFA, does not make all the decisions. The EA as part of DEFRA and the LLFA have their own limits to their remit. It is felt, generally, that flood risk is not high enough on the Environment Agency’s own agenda and political-will to increase the emphasis is a priority. So, as well as working with the agencies strategically in the county to “current rules”, as well as having representation on the North West Flood and Coastal Committee regionally, CRAGG also lobby for change direct through the 5 local MPs to the Secretary of State and have given evidence to the EFRA Committee at Westminster. CRAGG believe the national DEFRA rules on flood project funding is grossly inappropriate for the severe issues experienced in Cumbria. The group is currently lobbying for a ‘special case’ for funding in Cumbria in recognition of –
- The difficult topography.
- High susceptibility to western storm fronts causing the highest rain run-off in any county in England.
- Main infrastructure vulnerability – risking separation between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
- Vulnerability of the energy coast and health response facilities.
- Fragility of the County’s economic base.
- Proportion of properties prone to ‘deep’ flooding.
- Danger to dispersed communities and the vulnerable.
- Risk to maintaining UNESCO Heritage status.
- Large geographic area leaves essential communication networks poorly funded.
- Risk to the 4 Special Areas of Conservation rivers located in the County.
The group wants fully coordinated catchment management of rivers, water courses, land porosity and underground water levels not simply isolated projects. Every point on a river should have a designed peak level limit and all works geared to achieving this goal.
Recognition of this special case is needed to free up the bureaucratic and limiting ‘business case formula’ that is currently laid down by DEFRA – this, and the checking that no positive actions will have negative repercussions elsewhere, is why the EA have had very few projects as yet on the ground. CRAGG find this, whilst understandable, still unacceptable. Many projects of repairing or tuning defences do not require such long term modelling assessment. There are many “quick-win” projects that could have progressed on the ground months ago. The Cumbria flooded community understand the issues but have to say we have much higher expectation. The CRAGG union across the county has come a long way in 11 months but as yet sees little to prompt optimism. ‘Talk and more talk’ is not as good as ‘talk and do’ and there is precious little of the latter. The delay loses focus and the ‘living memory’ carrousel starts to turn again.
The brave face of the resident wading through their lost home for a third or fourth time will represent no facsimile of resilience only pure depressed resignation to a failed system and a spirit totally broken. Another statistic to be left to erode and to be lost as living memory moves on.
John L Kelsall
Chair, Carlisle Flood Action Group
Chair, Cumbria Rivers Authorities Governance Group
