Identifying the Impacts

RPA develops and applies methodologies that go beyond the traditional flood risk management approaches to ensure that the full impacts of flooding can be identified and included in the decision-making process.  This includes the use of decision trees to take account of flood risk management responses that rely on a chain of events taking place to be effective.  We are also actively developing and applying approaches that incorporate those impacts that cannot be readily valued in money terms into project appraisal using multi-criteria analysis (scoring and weighting techniques).

 

Our work for Defra on FD2019 (developing an evidence base for improving appraisal guidance) showed that very few project appraisal reports are completely in line with Defra guidance (e.g. the FCDPAG series).  Impacts that cannot be easily valued in money terms are rarely included in the appraisal and almost never taken into account when identifying a preferred option.  We are developing methodologies and approaches that ensure more comprehensive appraisals and provide a better basis for justifying ‘sustainable’ solutions over the more traditional engineering solutions.

 

Conservation Sites

RPA is actively involved in developing methodologies that allow the benefits of conservation sites to be taken into account in decision-making.  This includes identifying how the benefits can be described and measured but also identifying what conservation sites need to maintain or enhance the biodiversity that they support.

We have developed a methodology that recognised that there may be benefits of periodic flooding to conservation sites, but which also takes into consideration the needs of the vulnerable habitats and species that the sites support.  The methodology is used to help identify the most appropriate standard of defence and is based around the time required for the most vulnerable habitats and species to recover following a flood. 

Our work has also included identifying the need for compensatory habitat, estimating the costs of providing such habitat and comparing potential sites to identify the ‘least-cost’ solution.  In all of our work, we use ‘least-cost’ to represent not the financial cost, but to take into account all of the economic, environmental and social costs that may be incurred.

Health Impacts of Flooding

Apart from the immediate threat to life and limb associated with flooding, there may also be long-term health impacts both physical and, more significantly, psychological.  RPA undertook a major study for Defra into the long-term health impacts of flooding (also known as the 'intangibles' study) .  The study involved interviewing 1,000 people who had been flooded and 500 who were at risk of flooding.  The results showed that flooding events (and their aftermath) are extremely disruptive forcing people out of their homes for many months which, in turn, leads to stress.

Risks to People

RPA has also developed methodologies for assessing the direct risks to people from flood events and routinely undertakes flood risk assessments for new (and existing) developments read more...