Property level flood protection: a new effective and affordable solution

Abstract

Property flooding is a major problem and the risk of flooding continues to escalate. At present, the majority of property owners take no steps to mitigate future flood damage. A review of the main factors influencing the uptake of flood protection reveals property owners have the desire to act but not the ability to act. The latter involves making choices, which require knowledge, belief and finance. Unfortunately, there seems to be no choice of measures both acceptable to the property owner and also offer full property protection, which may be the main reason for a lack of uptake. A new innovative solution, known as 'The Flexible Skirting System' (patent GB2452423), is presented, which is a cost effective combination of resistance and resilience approaches. Compared to other flood protection measures already commercially available, the system is quick and simple to install, aesthetically acceptable, offers less disruption and is affordable. Moreover, this system is possibly the choice needed to enable property owners to make the decision to install flood protection against all routes of floodwater ingress.

A comparison of the cost effectiveness of property‐level adaptation and community‐scale flood defences in reducing flood risk

“…Apart from the monetary costs and benefits, there are other criteria that could influence the effectiveness of measures—these could be included in the preliminary stage of a project appraisal. For example, the property owners' willingness to participate and their preparedness in handling property‐level protection measures can affect the feasibility and efficacy of the protection at an individual property scale (Attems et al, 2020; Beddoes & Booth, 2010; Botzen et al, 2009; Howgate & Kenyon, 2009) as opposed to a community‐level structural defence. Furthermore, the whole system of flood measures should themselves be effective in supporting PLA efficacy (Molinari & Handmer, 2011) such as with reliable flood warning systems and operations.…”