Flood Risk Assesments
Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events, whilst London’s growth will mean that more people and assets will be at risk.
One in seven properties in London are vulnerable to surface water flooding. Heavy rainfall can swiftly overwhelm the drainage network, leading to flooding of low-lying areas. During a single wet period in 2007 more than 1,000 premises, over 80 schools and parts of several hospitals were flooded in London despite London receiving only a third of the rainfall that affected Hull.
We provide Risk Assessments with a particular focus on surface water and critical sewer flash flood water damage to your ICT systems. As these events are not covered in the UK Environment Agencies River and Sea Flood Map Database you may not have considered water damage as a possible risk.
For more London specific information see the "Drain London Project". Should you be located in Camden, Westminster or Southwark then the surface water flood risk situation is much worse than the City of London and with climate change critical sewer flooding from flash floods will become more common.
Please note that the Thames Barrier and the Thames river defences offer no protection against flash flooding surface water and critical sewer flooding.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel Tunnel will help with surface rain water flooding in London when it is completed in 2023.
To help raise awareness the City of London Corporation have also produced their Surface Water Flood Risk Case Study Report which you may find useful.
Below you can download some detailed mind maps on the topic of flood risk to mission critical Enterprise Data Centres (Server Rooms) and Critical Life-Line Telecommunications and utilities infrastructures. They should help as an aid memoir for flood risk audits and flood scenario exercises.