PRESS RELEASE : Yorkshire communities urged to sign up to new flood warning service [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 17 March 2023.
The Environment Agency has launched a new flood warning service this week for eight areas across Yorkshire – which will warn residents of any imminent risk of flooding.
The new flood warnings cover 2,557 properties and will see a warning message issued when flooding is forecast and then again to warn users if impacts are likely.
Residents can register for the new service for free and choose to receive notifications via phone call or text.
The warnings tell people about the risk of flooding to their home or business and helps people make informed decisions about how to respond. There are three types of warning – Flood Alert, Flood Warning and Severe Flood Warning.
Householders are encouraged to prepare if they receive a Flood Alert which could mean packing a bag that includes medicines, insurance documents and anything else they wouldn’t want to lose if flooding were to take place. A Flood Warning calls on people to act now which means turning off gas, water and electricity and moving family and pets to safety. A Severe Flood Warning means you are in immediate danger and to follow advice from emergency services.
The update to the Yorkshire service comes as 110,000 additional homes and businesses across the country are now eligible to receive the new flood warnings following a major effort to ensure all properties at high risk of flooding can receive them. Many properties previously considered too remote, rural, or difficult to warn of flooding, are now able to take advantage of the service. This significant improvement has been made possible using new technologies developed by the Environment Agency.
Graham Lindsey, flood resilience team leader at the Environment Agency said:
We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority.
These warnings are there to help people prepare for, and become more resilient to, flooding incidents and this new service will allow people to take appropriate action when flooding is forecast. We would encourage all of those in these new flood warning areas to sign up for our free warnings this winter for both their safety and peace of mind.
The new flood warning areas have been added as a result of modelling and new data which is part of the Environment Agency’s constant drive to continually improve the flood warning service.
The new flood warnings areas are:
- Oil Mill Beck at Horsforth Woodside
- Communities along Black Brook from Bowers Mill to Berry Mill Lane, Calderdale
- Bradford Beck and tributaries at Bradford
- Hunsworth Beck at Oakenshaw
- Went Beck at Purston Jaglin, Wakefield
- River Esk at Ruswarp
- River Esk at Glaisdale
- River Esk at Danby
There are over 1.6 million users registered to receive flood warnings at the touch of a button. These flood warnings are generated from river level data which is collected via an extensive monitoring network across England. The data is combined with weather forecasts, river models and other information to produce location specific flood forecasts.
