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 In his statement to Parliament following the publication of the Pitt Review ‘Lessons learned from the 2007 floods’, the Secretary of State for The Environment, Food and rural Affairs said that the government would produce an outline of a National Flood Emergency Framework by the end of July 2008. That outline has now been published.
Entitled ‘Towards a New National Flood Emergency Framework’ the document explains that it has been strongly influenced by the government’s influenza pandemic framework.
The document explains that the National Flood Emergency Framework (NFEF) will have three main outcomes:
• A nation that is more resilient to future flooding events;
• Responses to flooding events that are judged to be effective; and
• Improved understanding by all of the wider impacts of flooding.
It will be “the primary source of information for all audiences with an interest in the detail of flood emergency planning and response ... (and) will also establish a set of strategic objectives for the benefit and use of those organisations in the front-line of emergency management.”
The purpose of the NFEF will be to:
• Ensure delivery bodies understand their respective roles and responsibilities;
• Clearly set out the risks and impacts to inform community risk registers;
• Give all players in an emergency flooding situation a common point of reference - bringing together information, guidance and key policies in a single planning document;
• Set out clear plans to manage the consequences of flooding events;
• Establish clear thresholds for emergency response arrangements;
• Set out the role of citizens – raising awareness of what individuals can do;
• Place proper emphasis on the multi-agency approach to managing flooding events;
• Provide clarity on the means of improving resilience and minimising the impact of flooding events;
• Provide a basis for individual responders to develop and review their own plans; and
• Be a long-term asset that will provide the basis for continuous improvement in flood emergency management.
Read the document (PDF)
•Date: 31st July 2008• Region: UK •Type: Article •Topic: Emergency planning
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