£4 million for new flood research projects

As parts of the UK suffer major flooding and torrential rain, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced a new investment of around £4 million for projects to improve protection and recovery from floods. The new projects address some of the priorities identified by LWEC's Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research Strategy which EPSRC was quick to pick up on.

Researchers at Newcastle University will lead a team to assess the risk to householders and small busineeses in situations where a second flood may strike before coastal or river defences have been reinstated after previous flood damage. They will look at clusters of extreme weather events striking vulnerable infrastructure.

By examining such events and identifying the worst case scenarios, the researchers hope their findings will lead to enhanced flood resilience and better allocation of resources for protection and recovery. Ultimately the processes developed could be used worldwide.

Another project led by the University of Nottingham could lead to major transformations in the way cities are planned, developed and managed by involving people, local authorities and businesses in research into the adoption of new technologies which provide flood protection and enhance urban living.

And a Durham University-led research team will develop cutting-edge computer modelling to look at how emergency planners, the emergency services, local authorities, businesses and other key players interact in the aftermath of a flood. The findings will improve future planning and response and hopefully therefore lessen economic losses.