The Floodmobile: One Year On

It is hard to believe that this time last year Fola Ogunyoye and I were on our three week tour with the Floodmobile; visiting flood risk communities across the Ox-Cam Pathfinder region.

It was great to work alongside all the local authorities involved in the Pathfinder project, as they were able to share vital local knowledge with visitors, while we concentrated on explaining the many property flood resilience (PFR) products and solutions on the Floodmobile.

When visiting a community that is facing (or has faced) flooding, it is so important to have members of the local authority or the Environment Agency and, if possible, the local water company on hand to answer specific locally-focussed questions.

Our experiences showed us that this enhanced the quality of our engagement, while enabling Fola and I to focus purely on showcasing the many PFR measures at our disposal.

Fola and I make a great team: Fola has a wealth of technical expertise and a huge sense of humour, which always goes down well with those visiting! Having been flooded myself, I have a shared experience with those visiting the Floodmobile. The evaluation of the Ox-Cam Pathfinder project highlighted just how much this was valued.

I was able to share practical tips about how to prepare for a flood (my four wellington boots, on table legs always goes down well..!). I am also fortunate to be able to share so many inspirational real-life stories of what others have done to reduce the impact of a flood, meaning they either no longer flood or recovery is so much quicker if they do.

Due to climate change the numbers of people living at flood risk will continue to rise. For those who already live with the risk, it will mean they will face the prospect of flooding more frequently (as suffered by those living along the River Severn during the last four years, for example).

I believe it is so important to not look at flood risk management in isolation, but instead to consider it as a jigsaw of many pieces, working together to manage but not stop floods.

One part of that jigsaw is for homeowners to consider what can be down at a property level to reduce the impact.?In my view, particularly having personally experienced the devastation caused by flood waters, any time or money is well spent and it gives back control to those on the receiving end.

Since the end of the Pathfinder Project in 2021, I have worked alongside Flood Re and travelled through many communities around the country with the Floodmobile, continuing the quest to support as many people as people with advice and information.?

I greatly enjoyed the ‘Road to Glasgow’ for COP 26, and have attended Water, Wastewater & Environmental Management Expo (WWEM Expo) , Flood EX and Flood and Coast – during which I helped to promote Flood Re’s amazing #BuildBack Better initiative.

In addition, Fola and I have continued to meet and greet as many communities as possible who live at flood risk, including conducting a ‘Spring tour’ with the Environment Agency and working alongside Cambridgeshire County Council promoting PFR.

It makes me happy to see that the information and support we give is well received by the visitors we meet. We have many more bookings this year but there is always space for more. If you are interested in bringing the Floodmobile to your area with Fola and I, do please contact [email protected] for more details.

Feedback on the Floodmobile:

Stamatia Christianou, Senior Floor Risk Officer – Community Flood Action Programme: “Cambridgeshire County Council has been working with Mary and the Floodmobile for over a year now. And it has been a great year! As part of the Community Flood Action programme we have successfully organised Flood Resilience days across the county. The events were welcomed by many residents who attended to discuss local issues related to flooding. Mary and other expert consultants were there to provide advice about Property Flood Resilience measures on board the Floodmobile. We are so excited and grateful having something as unique as this to offer to our residents to help combat the flooding in Cambridgeshire.”

Paul Swales, Environment Agency - Senior Flood Risk Advisor: “Having the Floodmobile in the Calder Valley for a couple of days was both informative and inspiring. We chose locations in the valley (Brighouse and Todmorden) which hadn’t had too much engagement in the recent past and we have some excellent conversations with local residents and councillors. I am keen to have the Floodmobile again in the Calder Valley as its fundamental to keep ‘banging the drum’ about the benefits of property flood resilience and what home/business owners can do for themselves to better protect from future flood risk.”