UK Summer Flood Report: 15 Main Points

The interim report into the summer floods has made 15 urgent recommendations:

·More monitoring of groundwater levels by the Environment Agency to help better predict serious flooding.

· Urgent identification of areas at risk of surface water flooding - where water runs off the surface of the land - by the Environment Agency and water companies.

· A clear policy on the use of temporary flood defenses should be devised and put into action by the agency.

·Local resilience forums, which coordinate emergency planning by emergency services and local authorities, should check whether their water rescue plans are adequate.

· Local resilience forums to review whether or not buildings used to rehouse families are flood-proof.

· All households should put together a flood kit, including key personal documents, insurance policy, emergency contact numbers, torch, radio, mobile phone, rubber gloves, first aid kit, hand wipes and blankets.

· The public should increase their state of readiness by checking they have the correct insurance; registering with the Environment Agency's flood warning alert scheme; checking whether their property is at risk of flooding; keeping vital possessions in safe places; keeping a list of emergency numbers; and knowing where to turn off gas, electricity and water supplies.

· The government should look into setting up arrangements to rapidly acquire essential supplies of food and equipment in the event of a national or regional emergency.

·Department of Health should urgently implement guidance setting out the roles and responsibilities of bodies involved in providing scientific and technical advice during an emergency.

· The government should urgently publish advice to local authorities on how to support vulnerable people in an emergency.

· The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs should draw up a national flood plan.

· Emergency planners should get a detailed assessment of the critical local infrastructure to help them gauge its vulnerability.

· All homes and businesses in areas at risk of flooding should be covered by a telephone flood-warning scheme.

· Local resilience forums should improve flood warnings by calling door-to-door on households in areas most at risk.

· Local resilience forums should involve the local media in their plans to help warn and prepare the public about flood risks.