hull floods 2007 case study

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Reflections on the 2007 Hull Floods

2013, Science Showcase, Hull Town Hall, 14th May 2013.

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Increased resilience and recovery after natural disasters

Submitting institution, unit of assessment, summary impact type, research subject area(s).

Earth Sciences:  Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Medical and Health Sciences:  Public Health and Health Services

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Summary of the impact.

Contingency planning to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies, including natural disasters such as flooding, is a priority for all governments. However, such planning has traditionally focussed on risk assessment and emergency response, with recovery conceived of solely in terms of repairs to infrastructure and short-term health protection. Consequently, residents' needs for support during the longer-term recovery process hardly featured at all in policy prior to our research, which has provided new insights into the nature of disaster recovery. Starting from a focussed case study of the 2007 floods in Hull, we have delivered leading research that has advanced understanding of the social, economic and practical challenges faced by people impacted by disasters. Our research has transformed the ways in which policy makers understand and manage the human impacts of the recovery from natural disasters. It has had a key role in shaping guidance, strategy and practice not only in UK responses, but globally, for example informing Australian authorities to improve their responses to both floods and bush-fires. Our impact was recognized by the ESRC in 2013, winning second place for Outstanding Impact in Public Policy, in their first ever `Celebrating Impact' awards.

Underpinning research

Our research into recovery and resilience after disasters, emerged from the combined research expertise and track record of Dr Will Medd on resilience and governance 1 and Prof Gordon Walker on the social dimensions of risk 2 . Their collaboration initially took forward three projects funded by the Environment Agency on flood warnings, risk communication and flood resilience during 2006-8, as well as an FP7 project on social capacity building and natural hazards (CAPHAZ-Net). The insights, and the close relationships with stakeholders built through these projects, enabled a rapid response to the severe summer floods in the UK in 2007, with two projects on the recovery process in Hull.

Responding to the 2007 floods, the first project, the Hull Floods study, funded by the ESRC, EPSRC, and the Environment Agency (ESRC/EPSRC RES 177-25-0004, 2007-9), was led by Medd and brought together an extended research team including Walker, Dr Nigel Watson, Dr Maggie Mort (Department of Sociology, Lancaster), and Dr Rebecca Whittle (lead researcher). It focused specifically on the process of flood recovery and the impact that the recovery process can have on building future resilience. This represented a major shift from previous research focused on prevention and responses to flood events. We used an innovative longitudinal, qualitative, diary-based research design aiming to document and understand the everyday experience of flood recovery. The project involved intensive stakeholder engagement from the start, with local, regional and national representatives informing the research as it unfolded, and engaging directly with research participants. This was the first time that the flood recovery process had been captured with this level of detail and the project was subsequently assessed as `Outstanding' by the ESRC. The key insights to emerge from this research 3,4 were that, far from showing a steady process of improvement, flood recovery is punctuated by a distinct series of `highs' and `lows', which are closely tied with other events that are taking place in a person's life, as well as with people's experience of the different agencies and private sector companies involved in the flood recovery process (for example, builders, insurance companies, etc.). It also allowed us to demonstrate the crucial finding that people had to cope with the double trauma that occurs when the first destructive event (the flood) is compounded by secondary challenges that arise from poor treatment from the companies and agencies that are supposed to be helping with the recovery. The research identified a flood recovery gap, i.e. a gap between the legally-defined contingency arrangements, provided for the affected community by its public authorities and agencies, and the less well-defined services provided by the private sector (e.g. insurance, building industry).

Early within the project it emerged that there were specific issues facing children and flood recovery, and therefore a second project (funded by the ESRC RES 177-25-2009 and Environment Agency, 2009- 10), focused on the specific experience of children in flood recovery in Hull. The project was again led by the LEC team (Medd and Whittle plus Marion Walker: February 2009 -April 2011), and included collaborations with the Universities of Middlesex and Surrey. The research involved a participatory methodology using "story-boards', short one to one interviews and focus groups with young participants as well as adults. The core findings focused on the specific vulnerabilities experienced by children and young people during the extended process of disaster recovery and the need to accommodate children and young people's voices into building resilience for the future 5,6 . Like the adults' project, the Hull Children's Flood Project involved a high level of engagement with stakeholders and the children and young people themselves. For example, led by Marion Walker, the project team received additional funding from the ESRC Festival of Social Science to develop an interactive workshop on flooding and disaster recovery for children and young people 6 . This included a `Flood Suitcase', specially-designed by a community artist, which contained workshop materials and an adapted version of `Flood Snakes and Ladders' — a flood recovery simulation exercise developed from the adults' project as a means of enabling stakeholders to experience the `ups' and `downs' of flood recovery.

References to the research

The three references most influential in the impact are shown with an *

1. *Medd, W. and Marvin, S. (2005) `From the Politics of Urgency to the Governance of Preparedness: A Research Agenda on Urban Vulnerability' Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management , 13, 44-49.

2. *Walker G P and Bulkeley H (2006) Geographies of Environmental Justice, Geoforum, 37, 655-569.

3. Sims R (now Whittle), Medd W, Mort M, Twigger-Ross C, 2009, "When a "Home" Becomes a "House": Care and Caring in the Flood Recovery Process" Space and Culture 12(3) 303-316

4. Walker, G., Whittle, R., Medd, W., Walker, M. (2011) "Assembling the flood: producing spaces of bad water in the city of Hull" Environment and Planning A, 43: 2304-2320

5. Walker, M., Whittle, R. , Medd, W., Burningham, K., Moran-Ellis, J. & Tapsell, S. (2012) `It came up to here': learning from children's flood narratives Children's Geographies. 10: 135-150

6. * Whittle, R. , Walker, M. & Medd, W. (2011) Suitcases, storyboards and Newsround: exploring impact and dissemination in Hull. Area 43 (4) : 477-487

Details of the impact

In the UK, national contingency planning is the responsibility of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) within the Cabinet Office. Their website states ".... we need to be ready and able to deal with potential emergencies and disruptive events; these can range from natural disasters like flooding or heavy snow to deliberate acts or attacks.... ". A As described in detail below, our input into the CCS has provided "..... a useful resource for the CCS in identifying key issues and gaps which exist within the NRG [National Recovery Guidance] and also suggests how the CCS might go about filling these gaps ." B This documented change in policy implementation by government in the UK (the NRG) has been followed by similar uptake of our insights in Australia. C

Our research, (described in Section 2) provided high quality evidence on recovery and resilience, building on the specific case study of the Hull floods of 2007. Our research emphasised (i) that many people experienced the flood recovery process as more traumatic than the flood event itself and (ii) that the impact of flood recovery on children and young people was unrecognised in policy. After our research in Hull, Dr Hugh Deeming plus Medd and Whittle, undertook specific follow-on work to build on the impact of these projects, funded by an EPSRC Pathways Impact Award (December 2010 — March 2011) and the Cabinet Office (December 2010 - March 2011). This involved:

1) Developing an online version of our "Flood Snakes and Ladders' flood recovery training tool. This was devised because research users said they needed ways to demonstrate the complexities of the recovery process, highlight the `recovery gap' and identify opportunities for intervention.

2) Undertaking a comprehensive review of the National Recovery Guidance (NRG) for the Cabinet Office, identifying the key learning, gaps and recommendations from the two Hull Flood Studies D . NRG's website still includes a direct link to our project reports as part of its guidance "... aimed at local responders and developed in line with the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) on recovering from an emergency in the UK. "

We have continued to follow-through these research findings to deliver significant impacts through (i) continued engagement with policy makers and practitioners, (ii) the production of innovative training materials which can be used by policy makers and practitioners to improve understanding of the impacts of flood recovery and (iii) extensive media engagement in the UK and internationally. The resulting impacts are detailed below.

1) Bringing recovery issues to the forefront of policy attention. Prior to 2007, recovery issues were hardly considered in policy documents and related support, which concentrated solely on the disaster itself and the immediate emergency response phase which followed. Our research thus provided policy makers with the evidence that transformed their understanding of recovery. In particular, our work influenced the Pitt Review (the government's national inquiry into the 2007 floods), where it was used as a case study to demonstrate the impacts of flood recovery. E This was particularly significant as, in the interim Pitt Review, health and well-being were subsumed as one page within the "Recovery" chapter F . In response to that interim review, we contributed specific evidence on our insights, and the final Pitt Review incorporated a full chapter on this topic, that highlights our work as a specific case study E . We also influenced post-Pitt policy development through responses to a series of Defra consultations. Most explicitly, in relation to consultation on property-level flood resilience measures, we recommended the introduction of free surveys and a locally-flexible scheme to subsidise the implementation of these measures, and that there should be close liaison with local communities. G All these suggestions were incorporated by Defra as part of a new £5.6 million flood protection grant scheme H .

2) Transforming national Guidelines on Community Resilience and Recovery . The Cabinet Office is a major user of our research. They requested our specific involvement in advising policy on community resilience. We were invited to sit on the Community Resilience Programme Steering Group which culminated in our research being quoted as a major influence on policy:

"The Civil Contingencies Secretariat has participated in the steering group for the project, attended workshops and met the diarists to understand the experiences of those affected by major flooding. Access to the diarists, and hearing their experiences influenced the consultation process and provided a constant reminder of the need to ensure that community resilience is accessible and useful to all community members. It also reiterated the need to facilitate increased risk awareness within the population to better inform their decision to get involved in preparing for emergencies." G

The Civil Contingencies Secretariat also incorporated our learning in their work through `Flood Snakes and Ladders', an interactive flood recovery simulation tool that we developed, and which was used by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat on their staff training. The civil servant who organised this said: "I think the quotes really demonstrated to them [fellow staff] the real impact on the ground and got many of them to be quite reflective as a result... [The game was] a brilliant way to demonstrate how exceptionally frustrating it would be if it happened in real life." i

Directly following this, we were commissioned by the Cabinet Office to undertake a comprehensive review of the National Recovery Guidance (NRG) to ensure that it included learning from our research. The Cabinet Office's recovery policy manager has stated that our review of the NRG ".... was a useful resource for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in identifying key issues and gaps which exist within the NRG and also suggests how the Civil Contingencies Secretariat might go about filling these gaps. The work that the [Lancaster Environment] Centre has carried out for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat has been very useful and the products produced... well thought through and stimulating ." B

3) Environment Agency strategy and practice. The EA drew directly on our work in developing a new internal strategy document on recovery. They wrote to us saying " the Hull work will help our communications staff understand how people feel after a flood and ensure that any communications from the EA (e.g. about signing up to Floodline Warnings Direct) is sensitive to the problems people face and hopefully more joined up with other organisations responsible for recovery, like LAs. This also applies very specifically to post-flood drop-ins where we often held these separately to other organisations. This shouldn't happen in the future ." J

4) Defra review of climate change preparedness and the National Adaptation Programme. In 2011, DEFRA commissioned Frontier Economics Limited to review climate change adaptation, specifically in the context of health and well-being. The company drew extensively on our research, citing us 26 times and stating that " [our] interview with you directly inform[ed] the `Health and well-being theme' of the report" K,L . This report has been highly influential, being cited by many organisations in describing their plans for climate adaptation and being used by Defra to inform the National Adaptation Programme.

5) Improving support for recovery in contingency planning world-wide. While the Hull case study focussed on flooding, our insights are no less pertinent to resilience to other disasters, natural or otherwise. Our research is now delivering impacts beyond the UK, not least where climatic extremes are bringing increased need for effective contingency planning for natural disasters. We were invited to give two seminars at the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) in Australia in April 2011 and these seminars have had an impact on the work of local disaster recovery agencies in Australia by providing them with further evidence of the importance of tackling longer-term recovery issues. For example the Principal Recovery Adviser to the Government of Victoria commented "....there has been a dearth of research that looks at the 'lived experience' of the recovery process. Even with major recent events in Victoria such as the 2009 bushfire with 179 deaths and over 2,000 houses destroyed, the 2010-11 floods with around 2,000 homes significantly flooded and many more impacted.... I just wanted to let you know how useful your work has been for post-disaster recovery work that I undertake ". C More recently, our research is also being used by Save the Children Fund to help them improve their response to emergencies. We have worked with Save the Children UK Emergencies team to develop the Journey of Hope (JOH) UK; a post-disaster psychosocial recovery programme for children, young people and their carers. As part of this on-going work we will present progress on JOH to the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College Conference "Neither Seen Nor Heard".

The reach and significance of the impacts that have already been delivered from our research has been recognised by ESRC, who in 2013 awarded us 2 nd prize for Outstanding Impact in Public Policy D . In their commendation D ESRC state " The Hull Floods Project team at Lancaster University has transformed policymakers' understanding and management of the human impacts of the flood recovery process. The team had continued engagement with policymakers and practitioners, and produced innovative training materials ." D

Sources to corroborate the impact

A. Cabinet Office 2013 Improving the UK's Ability to Absorb, Respond to and Recover from Emergencies https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-uks-ability-to-absorb-respond-to-and-recover-from-emergencies

B. E-mail from Recovery Policy Manager, Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat 12/8/2011

C. E-mail from Health and Human Services Emergency Management Branch, Government of Victoria), 2/8/2012.

D. See "`After the Rain' — Hull flood study" under "National Recovery guidance: case studies" at https://www.gov.uk/national-recovery-guidance#national-recovery-guidance-case-studies

E. The Pitt Review The Cabinet Office 2008, p.359- 360 (Section 25:11) ( http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100807034701/http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/pittreview/thepittreview/final_report.html ).

F. The Pitt Review: Interim Report The Cabinet Office 2008. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100807034701/http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/pittreview/thepittreview/interim_report.html )

G. Lancaster University submission for Defra consultation on flood management. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/31801/1/Lancaster_University_submission_for_Defra_consultation_on_flood_protection_and_resilience.pdf

H. http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/flooding/manage/propertylevel/grant-scheme.htm

I. HM Government Strategic National Framework on Community Resilience March 2011p.23/24. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60922/Strategic-National-Framework-on-Community-Resilience_0.pdf

J. E-mail from Recovery Policy Manager, Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat to Rebecca Whittle,18/02/2010.

K. E-mail from Environment Agency to Will Medd, 12/01/2010.

L. E-mail Frontier Economics Limited, London WC1V 6DA ( www.frontier-economics.com

M. Frontier Economics (2013) Economics of Climate Resilience: Health and Well-Being Theme Report ( http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=18016 )

N. http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/celebrating-impact-prize/prize-winners-2013.aspx

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Why is Hull so at risk?

With its proud maritime history and an emerging status as the UK’s ‘Energy Estuary’, Kingston upon Hull is a city whose past, present and future are built around water. Unfortunately, with this comes the inescapable truth that, after London, Hull is the UK city most vulnerable to the potentially catastrophic effects of flooding, with around 100,000 homes at risk across East Yorkshire.

Hull is acutely exposed to this threat because of its location, sitting on both the Humber estuary and the River Hull, as well as its proximity to the North Sea. To add to the problem, the city sits in a flat-bottomed basin of low-lying land below sea level.

What has been done since 2007?

Since its creation, Living with Water has been working to protect the area by developing innovative water management systems, as well as giving people the knowledge to improve their personal resilience.

Through the Living with Water partnership, Hull has become a leading authority on flood management, with more than £260m spent on flood infrastructure since 2015. These projects include:

Haltemprice surface water storage schemes: There are three major surface water storage schemes in the Hull and Haltemprice area. These versatile green spaces hold excess water after heavy rainfall and release it gradually to slow the flow into the drainage system. Between them, they are expected to reduce the likelihood of severe surface water flooding for around 20,000 properties. As one of the country’s largest surface water storage schemes, this innovative development sets an example of how to manage surface water sustainably.

Humber: Hull Frontages: This £42m Environment Agency-led scheme built new flood defences and upgraded existing tidal defences to reduce flood risk along the Humber estuary. It is one of the biggest flood defence schemes in the country, reducing tidal flood risk for 113,000 properties. The Humber Hull Frontages scheme was officially opened in March 2022.

Hull Tidal Surge Barrier refurbishment: The Hull Tidal Surge Barrier protects the city and the surrounding villages from flooding caused by storm surges flowing back up the River Hull. It protects around 17,000 homes and business. In 2009-10, in response to increased flooding, rising sea levels and more severe weather, the barrier underwent a £10m refurbishment, adding new control features and improved computer control.

River Hull Defences Improvement Scheme: In 2012, the Environment Agency began assessing the River Hull defences, from the Humber Tidal Barrier to Clough Road on the outskirts of the city centre. Between 2017 and 2021, defence works were carried out across 62 sites. The defences cover 3.5km of the banks of the river.

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS): When it rains heavily, water runs off hard surfaces, such as buildings, roads and pavements, and into drainage and sewer systems, which are not always large enough to cope. SuDs act in a similar way to natural water processes, slowing the water flow and channelling it away from drains and sewers. As well as managing flood risk, SuDS help reduce pollution and provide vital habitat for wildlife, inspects and plants.

Several small-scale SuDs schemes, called aquagreens, have already been implemented in the city, including on Barbara Robson Playing Fields, Willerby Carr and on the green space off Bellfield Avenue in the Ings Ward. More similar projects are being planned across the region to help manage flood risk.

How everyone can play a part

While defences reduce the probability of a flood, they can never remove the risk entirely. It is just as important for everyone to work on their own personal resilience, particularly in a city as vulnerable as Hull.

Rachel Glossop, flood risk manager at Hull City Council, says: “Hull has a high level of flood risk, and we all have a role to play in managing that risk. As Risk Management Authorities, [the LWW partners] have invested in flood infrastructure such as defences, walls and pumping stations, which reduce the probability of flooding. “However, there is an increased risk of flooding from the changing climate in respect of localised flash flooding and intense storms, which are hard to predict and extremely difficult to manage. This is why it is important for everyone to be aware of this risk and to take steps to manage it. “These are small steps, but if everyone takes them, it will make a big difference to the way the city faces the challenges of climate change.”

As part of its Be Flood Aware campaign, Living with Water recommends three simple steps that individuals can take to improve their personal resilience, which it calls “Flood CPR”:

Check: Find out what causes flooding, whether you’re at risk, and how it can get into your home.

Plan: plan and prepare ways to protect your home and what to do during a flood., register: sign up for flood alerts via phone, email or text message..

Environment Agency figures this week showed that Hull was lagging behind other Yorkshire towns and cities on signing up to flood alerts. Just 6.6 per cent of people in Hull had signed up to receive flood alerts – lagging behind Barnsley (53.6 per cent), Harrogate (47.3 per cent) and Doncaster (44.2 per cent).

Cllr Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, says: “Despite the huge efforts made over the past 15 years to improve flood defences, as a city in a low-lying area on an estuary, Hull will always have a higher risk of flooding that other places. “Signing up is quick and easy, and I encourage everyone to do so. It will help put them in the best position to protect themselves, their families and their homes when flooding is a possibility.”

Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 2022-28

As the Lead Local Flood Authority, Hull City Council produces a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) every six years. The strategy aims to increase flood awareness and resilience among people, communities and businesses living, working and visiting Hull.

The LFRMS for 2022-28 has just been published, setting out the local authority’s plans to identify and manage flood risk over the next six years, working with the Living with Water partnership. The strategy also suggests ways in which can improve their own flood awareness and resilience and encourages people to get involved in community and educational events through Living with Water.

“Anyone who lived through the flooding in Hull 15 years ago knows what a terrible impact it can have on people’s homes and lives,” says Cllr Mark Ieronimo, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for Flood Management. “Flood risk is a global issue, not just a local one, and the risk of flooding will continue to increase as the climate changes. That’s why we need to be doing everything we reasonably can to reduce the risk of flooding in the future. “This refreshed strategy is one way to give Hull residents more information on how each and every one of us can play our part in protecting our city in the future.” ‘We feel much better protected’

Since 2007, Gerry Dippnall says she has kept a close eye on the flood management work undertaken by Hull City Council and its partners.

“I feel reassured that, over the past 15 years, a great deal of effort and investment has gone into protecting the city from flooding,” she says. “The upgrade of the Bransholme Pumping Station has given the residents of Kingswood peace of mind that we are much better protected and seeing the new flood defences along the Humber gives me confidence that the whole city is much safer. “The council seems much more organised and prepared when there is heavy rain forecast and there are now alerts given out on local media, which is most helpful. “The new Local Flood Risk Management Strategy shows there is a real commitment to carrying on this work to reduce the risk of the devastation of 2007 ever happening again.”

[MW1] (coulthard.org.uk)

[MW2] ( https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcxcb0epz )

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How the Hull floods of 2007 unfolded hour-by-hour

More than 9,000 homes and businesses were flooded ten years ago

• 06:00, 25 JUN 2017
• Updated 06:48, 25 JUN 2017

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In the words of current Hull City Council leader, Councillor Steve Brady, the floods of June 25, 2007 "left a mark on our city".

One life was lost.

In Hull alone, more than 9,000 homes and businesses were flooded, and 95 out of 98 schools were damaged.

Never before since the Hull Blitz had so many people in the city and surrounding areas been forced out of their homes.

Homes have long since dried out and possessions replaced.

But for people like Michael Barnett, whose only son - also called Michael - lost his life in the freak weather event, memories of that terrible day will be as raw as the day it happened.

Many in our community remain anxious and pray there is not a repeat each time we have torrential rain.

Here, we look at some of the key events of that fateful day ten years ago.

How the Hull floods of 2007 unfolded

June 24 - weather warning issued.

The Met Office issues a weather warning, which is discussed with Environment Agency officers. Flood watches are initiated in the Yorkshire Dales and Ridings regions.

With further heavy rain expected, a 24-hour flood incident room is set up.

At 1.40pm, Hull City Council receives a fax from the Environment Agency warning flooding is likely on low lying land in the East Riding.

'Wettest month recorded in Yorkshire since 1882'

A deepening depression moves slowly over the UK, bringing sustained heavy rain to Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands.

The Environment Agency records 96mm of rain at the River Hull. Yorkshire Water records 105mm at Saltend.

The Geography Department at the University of Hull notes 250mm of rain fell during June, with over 70mm falling on June 15 and over 110mm on June 25.

From the air, main roads resemble rivers.

June 25 - First reports of flooding (early morning)

East of the River Hull, flooding is concentrated around the areas of Bransholme and Kingswood, which has its own drainage system. Reports of flooding in very low areas of East Carr.

Flooding is worse in areas west of the river - swathes of Orchard Park , Newland Avenue, the Avenues, Priory Road, East Ella and Anlaby Park are under water.

Major incident declared - 9.30am

Following reports from area management teams and the police of extensive flooding, Hull City Council declares a major incident at 9.30am.

Humberside Police declare a major incident and Silver Command is established at 10.25am, at Queens Gardens Police Station.

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is subsequently designated 'lead authority' by Silver Command.

Incident room set up - 9.50am

The Guildhall becomes a hive of activity as senior council figures, along with members of the emergency services, plan their response to the unfolding weather event.

Residents begin complaining that water is 'backing up'. Many blame blocked gullies for the flooding.

CCTV helps the authorities gain 'real time' information on the flooding.

Sandbagging operation begins in earnest - 9.50am

All non-essential street scene services are deployed to sandbagging and road closure duties.

They're joined by the Army.

Residents begin protecting their homes as best they can, including moving furniture and other possessions upstairs.

The Independent Review Body later stated sandbags were a "comforting presence but may not in practice be the best use of resources or the best localised defence."

Rest Centre established - 9.50am

Ennerdale Leisure Centre, in Sutton Road, east Hull, is designated a Rest Centre. Evacuated residents from the worst-hit areas are taken here.

At 11.15am, Hull City Hall is designated as a reserve Rest Centre.

Michael Barnett dies in Hessle - mid morning

Michael Barnett, 28, enters a drain in Astral Close, Hessle , to clear debris, but gets his leg stuck in a grille.

Despite the frantic efforts of the emergency services, Mr Barnett succumbs to hypothermia.

Mr Barnett is the only fatality of the floods.

Ennerdale Leisure Centre floods - 3.05pm

Hull City Hall now becomes the city's Rest Centre for weary residents, many of them elderly, evacuated from homes.

Hospitals declare state of emergency - 7.40pm

Armed with reports from Silver Command, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, declare a state of emergency.

100 calls an hour for help - from 6am

Calls from the public to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service quickly reach a peak of around 100 calls an hour.

This volume is sustained for the next 15 hours.

Difficulties are encountered by KCOM and BT in connecting callers to the fire brigade, requiring queuing, call holding and reconnection attempts.

Here, firefighters are pictured pumping water from Kingswood and Bransholme into the River Hull, near Sutton Road bridge.

Hull City Council reported more than 9,000 homes and businesses and 95 out 98 schools were flooded.

In all, the flooding caused £41m worth of damage.

Aside from the financial cost, 6,300 people in Hull were forced into temporary accommodation. Many spent over 12 months out of their homes. Some, 1,400 people had to live in caravans, until their homes were repaired.

A flood committee, pictured, was set up to coordinate the city's response.

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12th August 2021

Living With Water and University of Hull release report on 2007 floods

June 25 2007 is a day that will live long in the memories of Hull people.

Exceptional rainfall on June 15 – and then June 25 – led to severe surface water flooding across areas of the city.

The flooding affected around 20,000 people in Hull, with almost 9,000 homes and businesses hit.

To better understand the impact of the flooding on local residents, the University of Hull and Living with Water partnership has conducted a study into the events of June 2007.

The Hull Household Flood Survey – led by Dr Sam Ramsden at the University - has provided insight into the impacts of the 2007 floods, concerns about flooding, and where engagement around further measures can be taken for future protection of homes against flooding.

The survey, in which 457 households took part, highlighted over a third of households surveyed have yet to take measures to better protect themselves from future flood events.

In addition, a separate study examined the impact of flooding in 2007 on the Haltemprice ward of Hull. Haltemprice was severely impacted by surface water flooding in 2007, has suffered a number of subsequent flood events, and is vulnerable to further flooding.

Over 150 households in Haltemprice shared their experiences of flooding, forming a new summary report

You can read the summary reports, led by Dr Ramsden, on our Projects page.

A Blue-Green vision for the future

The two reports tie closely to Living with Water’s ‘Blue-Green’ vision.

The strategy explores opportunities to manage water effectively for the future of Hull and the East Riding, and has recently starting surveying areas in the region where sustainable schemes can be implemented.

SuDS help to manage surface water caused by rainfall by acting in a similar way to natural water processes. They play a crucial role in slowing the water flow and channel it away from drains and sewers.

As well as managing flood risk, SuDS also help reduce pollution and enhance biodiversity.

Find out more about our Blue-Green Vision.

Yorkshire Water

Environment Agency

Hull City Council

East Riding of Yorkshire Council

University of Hull

• The Hull Young Peoples Parliament Flood Manifesto
• Living with Water Badge Resources
• Plan & prepare

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• 2B Landscape Consultancy Ltd
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• Case Studies
• Humber Flood Cluster
• External Support for Businesses

Partners:    AIC

[14 July 2022]

A personal response to the 15th anniversary of the Hull floods

A personal reflection by Dr Sam Ramsden, Charity Support Coordinator at the Flood Innovation Centre on the 15th anniversary of the Hull floods

This blog comes just after the 15 th Anniversary of 2007 floods which had a terrible impact on Hull and particularly some of the suburbs in the north and west. Over 20,000 people were affected, 8,800 households were flooded, and over 5,000 households had to evacuate. You can read a report investigating the floods by Professor Tom Coulthard here .

I conducted follow-up research in 2018 to find out current views and concerns about flooding, in a collaborative research project with Living with Water – a partnership between the local Flood Risk Management Agencies (RMAs) – Yorkshire Water, Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Environment Agency. Many local residents engaged with the survey – it was the first time that many people had been asked to describe their experiences and concerns, and they wanted to have their voices heard by the RMAs. The results identify that while some people feel resilient to flooding, many others do not. For those flooded in 2007, traumatic flood experiences and blaming the failure of RMAs to prevent flooding had created a disconnect with RMAs. In addition, very few people had received information or support to improve their flood resilience since the floods, with people aged 80 and over, young people, private tenants and ethnic minority respondents particularly disengaged. For example, there had been very low take-up of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures that reduce the risk of flood damage to properties, speed up recovery and help people to move back quicker after flooding – due to lack of information on what effective products were available. The research also established that there were no locally-based charities focused on flooding, and no active flood groups or flood wardens, to act as trusted intermediaries between RMAs and vulnerable communities.

During the survey work, I concentrated on Derringham which was particularly hard hit by the flooding. Here is a map and a picture which shows the impacts of the floods and the area flooded in Derringham. On the map, the blue lines are flooded roads, and the purple dots represent flooded houses.

However, there have been many positive developments since the 2007 floods. Living with Water has worked to reduce the risk of flooding, including completing the different Flood Alleviation Schemes (lagoons) around the north and west of Hull and Haltemprice. During the survey work in Derringham I met with the Friends of Garrowby Orchard (FOGO). Paul Collinson from FOGO took me along a walk along Setting Dyke which is one the historic drains and ditches, draining water into the River Hull. Setting Dyke goes from the Willerby and Derringham Flood Alleviation Scheme (WADFAS) at the corner of Wold Road and Wymersley Road and then through the Orchard – which is planted with native species and acts as a large-scale Aquagreen or Sustainable Drainage System (SuDs). It is worth checking out the WADFAS lagoon – it is one of the only flood alleviation schemes you can walk nearby and the local community monitored the water levels there during the heavy rains of the winter of 2019/ 20 and could see the lagoon system working.

Since completing the survey, I have joined the Flood Innovation Centre team at the Energy & Environment Institute, which is supporting a range of activities to help people affected by the 2007 floods and to reduce the impacts of future floods. They have a strong focus on improving to access Property Flood Resilience measures and we are bringing the Floodmobile to Hull and the East Riding from 19 to 23 September as a way of showcasing the different measures available. We are also supporting charities and community groups work to improve flood resilience in the local community, or improve their own flood resilience and specifically supporting activities to help local flood groups and community gardens , and have included FOGO in both pieces of work.

We are definitely keen to work in other areas of Hull, East Riding and Humberside as well though, so feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] and I am also on Twitter @SamRamsden2001

Lead image of Prior Road in Hull during the 2007 floods by Charles Rispin via wikimedia commons

Hull Floods Project

• Aims and Objectives
• Methodology
• Flood Snakes and Ladders
• Hull Children's Flood Project

Latest News

Project team win ESRC award for 'outstanding impact in public policy' .

Try the new "Flood Snakes and Ladders" training tool.

New summary of the project's influence on policy and practice released

Project participants set up as flood consultants

Marion and Beccy win Lancaster University Staff Prize 2010 for innovative research communication.

A workshop has been held at Rheged, Penrith, to explore the role that research can play in Cumbria's recovery from the November 2009 floods.

After the Rain Workshops as part of ESRC 2010 Festival of Social Science

After the Rain, the project's final report is now available to download from the Outputs page.

Recent News

New document on the Diarists' recommendations for flood recovery is available to download from the Outputs page.

Lancaster University's submission to DEFRA's consultation on the Draft Flood and Water Management Bill available to download .

New website launched for the Children, Flood and Urban Resilience project

Lancaster University's submission to DEFRA's consultation on the National Flood Emergency Framework available to download .

Latest newsletter now available to download .

Click here to view the recent Environment Agency Conference paper.

Lancaster University's submission for the DEFRA consultation on flood protection and resilience available to download .

Project members' response to the Pitt Review Interim Report available to download .

Flood diarists featured on the BBC news website .

Flood, vulnerability and urban resilience

A real-time study of local recovery following the floods of june 2007 in hull (2007-2009).

The Hull Floods Projects ran from October 2007 to June 2011 and this website has now been archived as a record of the research and its impacts.

Funded by the ESRC, EPSRC and the Environment Agency, this project is a response to the events of June 2007 in Hull which dramatically exposed the vulnerability of urban communities in the face of major flood events. While the initial impact in Yorkshire, Humberside and Worcestershire was documented by the media, the extended process of physical, social and personal recovery from the flood experience will be lost from the headlines as local people, key agencies and government departments seek to re-establish the social and physical fabric of affected local communities.

ESRC Impact Case Study and Video

The Economic and Social Research Council, who co-funded this study, has produced a case study of the Hull Floods Project, as well as a short film:

Website maintained by Gordon Chapman-Fox .

Building flood resilience

Our flooding experts are driving the national and international flood resilience agenda

Project summary

The challenge.

We need to respond and adapt to the increasing environmental and societal challenges of flood risk

The Approach

Our researchers reviewed evidence from the 2007 floods and proposed new strategies for flood protection and managing future flooding events

The Outcome

Our flood research has informed UK national flood policy and investment, improving flood protection for more than 300,000 homes nationwide

Lead academics

Project partners

We've guided £5.2bn flood resilience funding, protecting 300,000+ homes

Our research has shaped national flood resilience policy and practice for 15 years, uniting agencies to better protect and help people recover from devastating flood events. We continue to drive action through partnerships like Living with Water.

The summer 2007 floods had significant environmental and societal impacts across the UK. In Hull alone over 8600 houses and 1300 businesses flooded, with 90% of the city’s schools closed and many events cancelled. 

The full research team

Professor Thomas Coulthard Professor of Physical Geography

Professor Emerita Lynne Frostick Environment Agency Board Member

Professor Graham Haughton Professor of Human Geography

Our researchers led an Independent Review Body (IRB), set up by Hull City Council in 2007. The aim was to establish why the physical, institutional and regulatory structures designed to prevent flooding failed comprehensively during the 2007 floods. The research combined the insights of physical and human geographers (Tom Coulthard, Lynne Frostick, Graham Haughton) and was designed to be policy-relevant and impact-driven, with partnership working at its core. The partnership included the local authorities, water companies, industry and representatives from the community and voluntary sectors.

Each year floods cause more than $40 billion in damage worldwide (OECD)

This collaborative research involved 30+ interviews, panel meetings, reviews of literature and reports, and field and site visits. The interim findings (August 2007) and the final report (November 2007) were edited and led by Professor Coulthard. In addition to reviewing the physical impacts of the flooding and the response of flood infrastructure, the IRB reports also addressed the social and psychological impacts of flooding in Hull. The reports concluded that, at the regional scale, the flooding was mainly caused by problems conveying rapid surface water through the drainage networks, along with the poor performance of three key pumping stations.

Summary findings of the research:

• the UK lacked a robust warning system for localised pluvial flooding following heavy rain. The research exposed this oversight and proposed a suitable warning system for pluvial flooding, based on modelling rainfall patterns.
• the ‘1 in 30-year event’ average usually used in UK urban flood planning is not appropriate in all regions, and especially not in low-lying regions with little natural drainage. In such regions, like Hull and the Humber, additional measures are required.
• the structure of UK water governance (with local authorities, the Environment Agency (EA) and privatised water utility companies controlling separate parts of the system) left no single agency with overall responsibility for managing flooding. This dispersed management was also found to hinder the development of better flood-event responses.

The research was highly influential because it revealed a series of weaknesses in the governance and policy systems for managing drainage and flood response regionally but also at the national and international scale.

The University of Hull research has significantly impacted governance and inter-agency partnership working, as well as leading to the adoption of a more integrated approach to flood risk management.

The Environment Agency’s Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management

Our research:

• informed the findings of the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
• is cited within the highly influential Pitt Review which has guided and directly informed UK flood policy for the past decade through the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the Water Act (2014), the Surface Water Management Action Plan (2018), the 25-year Environment Plan (2018) and the development of the Environment Agency’s new Flood and Costal Erosion Risk Management Strategy (2020).
• led to the formation of the £7.7 million National Flood Forecasting Centre in April 2009, covering surface water (pluvial) flooding.
• led to the creation of regional Surface Water Management Plans (SWMPs).  Hull was one of five areas to trial SWMPs. The SWMPs mandate planners, investors and developers to incorporate flood risk into their planning.
• guided ~£5.2bn investment in UK flood management funding between 2015 and 2020, significantly improving flood prevention and mitigation measures across the country (~300,000 homes better protected).
• impacted international flood and resilience strategies through the development, and subsequent global deployment of, the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA). This is part of the Resilient Cities Programme pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, with support from Arup, Resilience Shift, and the OECD, is now the global standard for city-level water resilience.

Our researchers recommended that one lead agency should oversee flood events with multi-agency partnerships working together and collaborating on broader flood governance. This advice was incorporated into the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which gave the Environment Agency (EA) overall responsibility for all flooding, including surface water flooding. Local authorities now retain responsibility for the control of regional surface water drainage, but do so under the auspices of the EA. This tranche of legislation prepares society for future flood events to a degree that was never required previously.

Our recommendations, cited in the post-2007 Floods Pitt Review included a call for more partnership working. Discussions followed, which led to the creation of the local Living with Water Partnership, including the Environment Agency, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hull City Council, Yorkshire Water and the University of Hull (our Vice Chancellor, Professor Dave Petley is a member of the Executive Board).

The Living with Water Partnership is internationally recognised and was instrumental in the city of Hull becoming one of the five founding cities in the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA).

Our next steps:

Our work continues to directly impact flood resilience in our communities. Our recommendations will lead to improving the local, physical flood resilience infrastructure. This includes creating   Aqua Green sites in open public spaces, which retain surplus surface water temporarily during flood events. The use of natural flood management strategies like these are now also firmly embedded in national flood management policy. We also champion cooperation and communication between communities, industry, civic agencies and government in order to build flood resilience. 

Publications

Coulthard, T. and Frostick L. (2010) The Hull floods of 2007: implications for the governance and management of urban drainage systems , Journal of Flood Risk Management, 3, 223-231

Coulthard, T., Frostick, L., Hardcastle, H., Jones, K., Rogers, D., Scott, M. and Bankoff, G. (2007) The 2007 floods in Hull. Final report by the Independent Review Body , 21 November 2007. Hull City Council, 68pp.

Coulthard, T., Frostick, L., Hardcastle, H., Jones, K., Rogers, D. and Scott, M. (2007) The 2007 floods in Hull. Interim report by the Independent Review Body , 24th August 2007. Hull City Council, 36pp.

Haughton, G., Bankoff, G., and Coulthard, T. (2015). In search of ‘lost’ knowledge and outsourced expertise in flood risk management . Transactions Institute of British Geographers, 40(3), 375-386

The Climate Crisis brings more frequent and severe flood events throughout the world. Building on our flood expertise, our innovative MSc Flood Risk Management is designed in collaboration with industry to help shape future flood resilience leaders.

Case studies

The right tone testing emergency alerts.

The University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute worked with the Environment Agency to test the public's response to cell broadcast emergency alert messages

A Living Lab for Sustainable Drainage

Our SuDSlab brings together on-campus and community surface water management measures in one monitoring and evaluation system

Risky Cities

Using innovative arts and humanities approaches to build climate awareness and help communities become more flood-resilient

Pursuing a Climate Resilient and Net Zero Hull:

Bringing together academics, policymakers, practitioners, and communities, including youth voices, to vision a Climate Resilient and Net Zero Hull

From a river of hope to the world

Empowering youth-led climate adaptation in Vietnam and sharing their stories on an international stage

Addressing tidal flood risk

The University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute carried out research as part of the IMMERSE project that focused on challenges and threats facing estuaries

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