Insurance, Communities, Flood Risk - What will the future hold?

The National Flood Forum is the national, community based charity that helps communities and individuals prepare themselves for the impacts of flooding, and supports them to address the myriad of issues they face when it does occur. Uniquely, it helps individuals and communities to take control of their lives.

Introduction to the conference
Flooding is different. Most civil disasters in the UK, fire, explosions, industrial accidents, earthquakes, transport trauma, etc., are one off incidents which rarely reoccur in the same locality. Flooding is increasing decade by decade and climate change and growing urbanisation are unlikely to reduce this pattern. Furthermore, the probability of a once flooded community being serially affected is real, with the victims of flooding being repeatedly traumatised and their communities serially blighted.

Among the most notable events were in Cumbria in November 2009, when an English record of 12 inches of rain fell in a day, and more recently Cornwall in November 2010 where extreme rainfall and flash floods affected hundreds of people and caused huge damage to property.

This conference is about household flood insurance and funding across the UK. The Statement of Principles, the agreement between the insurance industry and Government on funding and insurance, will expire in 2013. The insurance industry is unimpressed by the Government’s spending plans for flood risk management and has said that it will not continue with the agreement. What should, or could be put in its place? This debate will focus on some difficult realities.

The National Flood Forum conference aims to address insurance, funding and flood risk. It will look at what individuals and communities expect and perspectives from the main players across the UK, so that the NFF can direct its advocacy in the most constructive way to represent its members.

The objectives of the conference are to:

• Listen to and promote the views of people at risk of flooding on insurance and investment
• Understand the new partnership funding for schemes form a community perspective
• Understand the perspectives of the insurance industry, the Environment Agency and Government
• Promote networking between community groups and individuals, to share knowledge and experiences

Who should attend?

• Flooded individuals and communities and those at risk from flooding
  
• Professionals who have to work with flood victims
• Flood risk Management professionals who are involved in developing an implementing policies
• Those concerned with the development of new and more effective policies
• Companies providing flood resilience equipment