Our flood risk team is working closely with the Environment Agency and district councils to review the communities and properties in Devon which were flooded during Storm Bert.
Strong winds and heavy rain battered Devon last weekend and we received reports that approximately 40 properties suffered internal flooding.
The results of the investigation, which will be published in the New Year, will help us identify which properties and areas would most benefit from future resilience measures, in line with other priorities, workload and funding opportunities.
Our initial investigations, which includes feedback from communities, shows that in the communities where we have delivered flood schemes in recent years, such as Ivybridge, Sidmouth, Axminster, Uplyme and Stokeinteignhead, flooding was prevented.
The number of flooded properties across the county would certainly have been much higher without these essential flood improvements.
In Modbury for instance, approximately 4 million litres of water (4,000 cubic metres) was held behind a specially constructed dam without which many properties would have been flooded.
The dam was part of a £1.1million scheme delivered in 2019 and it helps control the flow of water through the drainage system in Modbury town centre by storing excess water behind it and redirecting the flow of water from certain fields.
Councillor Roger Croad, our Cabinet Member with responsibility for flood resilience said:
“Early indications show that our interventions either helped prevent flooding in many communities or reduced the impact of flooding by preventing water from entering people’s homes.
“However water did enter 40 homes and the Flood Investigation Report will help us identify which communities or properties would benefit from future schemes or property flood resilience measures such as flood doors, boards, airbrick covers and non-return valves.
“Our prioritised approach to flood risk management and collaborative working with other Risk Management Authorities is successfully reducing flood risk to some of the most vulnerable areas in the county.
“We are committed to implementing measures to reduce flood risk to communities across Devon and we will continue to work to maximise funding to make a real difference to our residents.”
