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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2015/dec/31/storm-frank-scotland-bears-the-brunt-as-torrential-rain-forces-evacuations-live
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| Version 11 | Version 12 |
|---|---|
| Scotland bears brunt of Storm Frank – as it happened | Scotland bears brunt of Storm Frank – as it happened |
| (30 days later) | |
| 4.17pm GMT | 4.17pm GMT |
| 16:17 | 16:17 |
| Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warns that Britain is “faced with terrible floods” and says more must be spent on flood defences, river basin management and the Environment Agency. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warns that Britain is “faced with terrible floods” and says more must be spent on flood defences, river basin management and the Environment Agency. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.35pm GMT | at 4.35pm GMT |
| 4.09pm GMT | 4.09pm GMT |
| 16:09 | 16:09 |
| Closing summary | Closing summary |
| Mark Tran | Mark Tran |
| It’s closing time for this blog, so here is a round-up of today’s events. | It’s closing time for this blog, so here is a round-up of today’s events. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.36pm GMT | at 4.36pm GMT |
| 3.39pm GMT | 3.39pm GMT |
| 15:39 | 15:39 |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| Another storm is coming - Gertrude - but it is expected to miss the UK and hit France next week. Rain on New Year’s Day is not expected to cause further flooding. | Another storm is coming - Gertrude - but it is expected to miss the UK and hit France next week. Rain on New Year’s Day is not expected to cause further flooding. |
| Graham Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said: “We have picked another weather system up but we don’t think at the moment it’s necessarily going to cause any problem for the UK. “The prediction is that it’s going to France, although we’re watching it form well off the west coast of Ireland but the track looks like it will go much further south where it won’t be a problem.”The new weather front - a depression bringing heavy rain and high-speed winds - has not yet developed in the Atlantic but is expected to reach northern France by Tuesday next week, Madge said. | Graham Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said: “We have picked another weather system up but we don’t think at the moment it’s necessarily going to cause any problem for the UK. “The prediction is that it’s going to France, although we’re watching it form well off the west coast of Ireland but the track looks like it will go much further south where it won’t be a problem.”The new weather front - a depression bringing heavy rain and high-speed winds - has not yet developed in the Atlantic but is expected to reach northern France by Tuesday next week, Madge said. |
| Wintery showers, some heavy, are expected across the north of England on New Years Day with clouds and rain spreading south-west throughout the afternoon. Large swathes of the country - from Cornwall to Wales and Northern Ireland - will be hit by brief downpours in the afternoon before further showers hang over Kent, Lincolnshire and the east coast by early evening. Lower level showers are also expected in Scotland.Despite the unremitting downpours, forecasters say the New Year’s Day rain should not cause further flooding however some areas remain at risk from swollen rivers responding to rainfall over the past 48 hours. | Wintery showers, some heavy, are expected across the north of England on New Years Day with clouds and rain spreading south-west throughout the afternoon. Large swathes of the country - from Cornwall to Wales and Northern Ireland - will be hit by brief downpours in the afternoon before further showers hang over Kent, Lincolnshire and the east coast by early evening. Lower level showers are also expected in Scotland.Despite the unremitting downpours, forecasters say the New Year’s Day rain should not cause further flooding however some areas remain at risk from swollen rivers responding to rainfall over the past 48 hours. |
| 3.32pm GMT | 3.32pm GMT |
| 15:32 | 15:32 |
| Henry McDonald | Henry McDonald |
| After the deluge and the flooding the Met Office has issued a “yellow” warning over snow and ice across Northern Ireland. | After the deluge and the flooding the Met Office has issued a “yellow” warning over snow and ice across Northern Ireland. |
| The Met Office said: “A cold showery airstream will bring wintry showers across the region. Whilst most showers will be of rain, they will turn to snow locally in heavier bursts.” | The Met Office said: “A cold showery airstream will bring wintry showers across the region. Whilst most showers will be of rain, they will turn to snow locally in heavier bursts.” |
| Motorists are being advised to exercise caution on the roads as the ice and snow are set to create hazardous conditions over the New Year. | Motorists are being advised to exercise caution on the roads as the ice and snow are set to create hazardous conditions over the New Year. |
| 3.27pm GMT | 3.27pm GMT |
| 15:27 | 15:27 |
| Libby Brooks | Libby Brooks |
| Two men have been rescued from a river in the Highlands after falling from their canoe on the River Garry, near Invergarry. | Two men have been rescued from a river in the Highlands after falling from their canoe on the River Garry, near Invergarry. |
| Emergency services were called around 12.30 this afternoon, when the men were reported to have got into difficulties. One of them managed to guide himself to the shore, but the other was swept downstream before being airlifted by the Royal Navy Search and Rescue helicopter. | Emergency services were called around 12.30 this afternoon, when the men were reported to have got into difficulties. One of them managed to guide himself to the shore, but the other was swept downstream before being airlifted by the Royal Navy Search and Rescue helicopter. |
| Both men have been taken to Raigmore Hospital, but their conditions are unknown at this time. | Both men have been taken to Raigmore Hospital, but their conditions are unknown at this time. |
| 2.36pm GMT | 2.36pm GMT |
| 14:36 | 14:36 |
| Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn does some sandbagging in York. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn does some sandbagging in York. |
| Checking out flooded buildings in York. | Checking out flooded buildings in York. |
| Getting caught by high tide. | Getting caught by high tide. |
| 1.59pm GMT | 1.59pm GMT |
| 13:59 | 13:59 |
| Libby Brooks | Libby Brooks |
| Our Scotland correspondent writes on the contrasting approaches to flood defence in Scotland and England. | Our Scotland correspondent writes on the contrasting approaches to flood defence in Scotland and England. |
| One of the striking things about reporting the flooding in Scotland over the past 24 hours has been the difference in public mood and provision up here. | One of the striking things about reporting the flooding in Scotland over the past 24 hours has been the difference in public mood and provision up here. |
| I asked Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, who has studied flood defences over may years, why this was. | I asked Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, who has studied flood defences over may years, why this was. |
| Dixon explains: “There is a systemic difference, because in Scotland flood defence is the responsibility of each local authority, while in England and Wales it is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. This makes decision-making more locally democratic and councils can be more aware of public mood.” | Dixon explains: “There is a systemic difference, because in Scotland flood defence is the responsibility of each local authority, while in England and Wales it is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. This makes decision-making more locally democratic and councils can be more aware of public mood.” |
| He adds that it is - inevitably - also a question of funding. The Environment Agency is dealing with serious cuts. “But in Scotland, when a local authority tells the Scottish government that it needs money for flood defence it is usually found.” | He adds that it is - inevitably - also a question of funding. The Environment Agency is dealing with serious cuts. “But in Scotland, when a local authority tells the Scottish government that it needs money for flood defence it is usually found.” |
| Dixon argues: “Flooding is a higher political priority in Scotland.” Nonetheless, he warns that there may be recriminations after the initial shock of these floods, which were so much bigger than the country has seen before. | Dixon argues: “Flooding is a higher political priority in Scotland.” Nonetheless, he warns that there may be recriminations after the initial shock of these floods, which were so much bigger than the country has seen before. |
| “Although the schemes in Scotland are fairly good, the problem at the heart of this is climate change, and what levels of flooding the schemes have been designed to meet. What used to be a one in 200-year flood is now happening much more frequently.” | “Although the schemes in Scotland are fairly good, the problem at the heart of this is climate change, and what levels of flooding the schemes have been designed to meet. What used to be a one in 200-year flood is now happening much more frequently.” |
| 1.55pm GMT | 1.55pm GMT |
| 13:55 | 13:55 |
| Libby Brooks | Libby Brooks |
| Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been visiting parts of southern Scotland worst affected by Storm Frank. | Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been visiting parts of southern Scotland worst affected by Storm Frank. |
| In Newton Stewart, in Dumfries and Galloway, where residents were some of the first in Scotland to be evacuated after the River Cree burst its banks on Wednesday morning, Sturgeon described the effect on homes businesses as “devastating”. | In Newton Stewart, in Dumfries and Galloway, where residents were some of the first in Scotland to be evacuated after the River Cree burst its banks on Wednesday morning, Sturgeon described the effect on homes businesses as “devastating”. |
| She added: “On the other side of that, the response has been heroic. Emergency services, volunteers, members of the public, the council, working together. There’s a sense here of real community spirit.” | She added: “On the other side of that, the response has been heroic. Emergency services, volunteers, members of the public, the council, working together. There’s a sense here of real community spirit.” |
| “But there’s a long recovery road ahead for some of the people I’ve been speaking to. One of the reasons I’m here is so that I can see it for myself, so we can make sure we are doing everything we reasonably can to help people with that recovery.” | “But there’s a long recovery road ahead for some of the people I’ve been speaking to. One of the reasons I’m here is so that I can see it for myself, so we can make sure we are doing everything we reasonably can to help people with that recovery.” |
| 1.51pm GMT | 1.51pm GMT |
| 13:51 | 13:51 |
| There is a broad consensus among experts that climate change is contributing to more extreme weather events. Here is a sample. | There is a broad consensus among experts that climate change is contributing to more extreme weather events. Here is a sample. |
| Dr Paul Williams, Royal Society University research fellow, department of meteorology, University of Reading: | Dr Paul Williams, Royal Society University research fellow, department of meteorology, University of Reading: |
| Simple physics tells us that warmer air can hold more water vapour. The global warming that we have experienced so far has increased the atmosphere’s moisture storage capacity by about seven per cent. This is undisputed science and it clearly increases the potential for extreme rainfall and flooding. | Simple physics tells us that warmer air can hold more water vapour. The global warming that we have experienced so far has increased the atmosphere’s moisture storage capacity by about seven per cent. This is undisputed science and it clearly increases the potential for extreme rainfall and flooding. |
| Professor Andrew Watkinson, University of East Anglia, and author on Foresight Review on Flooding and contributor to Pitt Review: | Professor Andrew Watkinson, University of East Anglia, and author on Foresight Review on Flooding and contributor to Pitt Review: |
| The government has been given ample warning by the Foresight Review on Future Flooding (2004) and the Pitt Review (2007) that the risk of flooding in Britain would increase as the result of a whole range of drivers including more intense storms and land use management, both of which have undoubtedly played a part in the recent floods. Perhaps this is happening more quickly than we anticipated, but we know what to do. There is no single solution to the change in flood risk, but rather a portfolio of responses is required including strategic engineering works, changes in land and river management, modernising urban drainage systems and changes in land use planning. This requires a more integrated approach to flood risk management and an increase in funding. | The government has been given ample warning by the Foresight Review on Future Flooding (2004) and the Pitt Review (2007) that the risk of flooding in Britain would increase as the result of a whole range of drivers including more intense storms and land use management, both of which have undoubtedly played a part in the recent floods. Perhaps this is happening more quickly than we anticipated, but we know what to do. There is no single solution to the change in flood risk, but rather a portfolio of responses is required including strategic engineering works, changes in land and river management, modernising urban drainage systems and changes in land use planning. This requires a more integrated approach to flood risk management and an increase in funding. |
| Piers Forster, professor of climate science, Leeds University: | Piers Forster, professor of climate science, Leeds University: |
| There is no doubt in my mind that climate change is partly responsible for the flooding across the North of England. This December is around 5C warmer than normal and physics tells us that 24 hour extreme rainfall increases by 7% per degree. The high temperatures are the combined effect of El Niño on top of a man made global warming trend. These floods are in part due to greenhouse gas emissions Q.E.D.” | There is no doubt in my mind that climate change is partly responsible for the flooding across the North of England. This December is around 5C warmer than normal and physics tells us that 24 hour extreme rainfall increases by 7% per degree. The high temperatures are the combined effect of El Niño on top of a man made global warming trend. These floods are in part due to greenhouse gas emissions Q.E.D.” |
| Colin Thorne, professor and chair of physical geography, school of geography, Nottingham University: | Colin Thorne, professor and chair of physical geography, school of geography, Nottingham University: |
| I don’t think we need another review: I think we need to accelerate implementation of responses to future flooding identified by the Flood Foresight Projects and envisaged in the comprehensive Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) that have already been worked out for every catchment in England and Wales. That does require investing more money in flood risk management, but the return on this type of investment is a good one - usually the benefit-cost ratio is about 6 to 1. | I don’t think we need another review: I think we need to accelerate implementation of responses to future flooding identified by the Flood Foresight Projects and envisaged in the comprehensive Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) that have already been worked out for every catchment in England and Wales. That does require investing more money in flood risk management, but the return on this type of investment is a good one - usually the benefit-cost ratio is about 6 to 1. |
| We must spend that money wisely though - there is no ‘silver bullet’ that can prevent flooding entirely. We need to defend our cities, reduce the exposure of key infrastructure (especially electricity switching stations, water treatment plants etc.) and use a great deal more ‘managed flooding’ of farmland on floodplains to take more of the pressure off urban flood defences. That will require local and national cooperation from farmers - who deserve and should receive compensation for enhancing the capacity of their land to store flood water that would otherwise end up in somebody’s home or workplace. We must recognise that floodplains are the farmers’ work places” | We must spend that money wisely though - there is no ‘silver bullet’ that can prevent flooding entirely. We need to defend our cities, reduce the exposure of key infrastructure (especially electricity switching stations, water treatment plants etc.) and use a great deal more ‘managed flooding’ of farmland on floodplains to take more of the pressure off urban flood defences. That will require local and national cooperation from farmers - who deserve and should receive compensation for enhancing the capacity of their land to store flood water that would otherwise end up in somebody’s home or workplace. We must recognise that floodplains are the farmers’ work places” |
| Professor Roger Falconer, professor of water management at Cardiff University and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering: | Professor Roger Falconer, professor of water management at Cardiff University and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering: |
| I believe the time has now come when we have to look at major engineering solutions to address some of the unprecedented flooding challenges that we have seen in recent years. Although efforts to raise embankments are very commendable, the problem with raising embankments is that one solves the problem for one part of a river reach, but only to move the flooding problem further downstream. | I believe the time has now come when we have to look at major engineering solutions to address some of the unprecedented flooding challenges that we have seen in recent years. Although efforts to raise embankments are very commendable, the problem with raising embankments is that one solves the problem for one part of a river reach, but only to move the flooding problem further downstream. |
| In my view the principle of holding the water back in the top of the river basin is the right approach – this being the principle behind planting more trees and vegetation in the upper catchments. However, trees, vegetation and woody dams only deal with relatively small floods. To withhold the large volumes of water being deposited under the current storms we need to consider more significant flood storage alternatives such as reservoirs in the upper catchment or natural bankside storage reservoirs. | In my view the principle of holding the water back in the top of the river basin is the right approach – this being the principle behind planting more trees and vegetation in the upper catchments. However, trees, vegetation and woody dams only deal with relatively small floods. To withhold the large volumes of water being deposited under the current storms we need to consider more significant flood storage alternatives such as reservoirs in the upper catchment or natural bankside storage reservoirs. |
| 12.48pm GMT | 12.48pm GMT |
| 12:48 | 12:48 |
| Lunchtime summary | Lunchtime summary |