Severe weather warnings issued just days after the government announced a new taskforce to deal with flooding
- Written by
Stephanie Hendries- Published
- September 4, 2024
Parts of the UK are set to experience a month’s worth of rainfall in just two days, with severe weather warnings announced in southern England for the first week of September. The severe weather is expected to lead to significant flooding, transport disruptions and power cuts.
The weather warnings come just days after the government announced a new taskforce to better predict where devastating flood and droughts will strike. Known as the Flood and Droughts Research Infrastructure, the initiative will bring together a team of world-leading researchers and technology to ensure communities, businesses and farms are protected against devastating flood events.
In August, the government announced the setting up of this new taskforce which is led by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) to predict extreme weather and flooding. As part of the initiative, the government has set aside £40million worth of funding focused on understanding the impact of extreme weather conditions across the country, pinpointing where incidents are likely to occur and planning to limit their impact.
Findings from the project will be shared with key bodies like the Environment Agency to steer the UK response to extreme weather. It will also act as a hub for researchers to pursue new innovations in the field.
Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said: “Flooding and droughts can devastate UK communities, from leaving people stranded, to destroying homes, gardens, roads and businesses, and even claiming lives".
"With climate change sadly making extreme weather events more common and adding an eye-watering cost to the economy, there is no time to waste in backing our researchers and innovators to ensure we are better prepared for floods and droughts striking.
"This project will help drive that progress, with dedicated teams using the most advanced tech to crunch data gathered from our rivers and paint a clear picture of its likely impact – using the power of science and tech to keep the public safe.”
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