sustainability east - east of england climate change adaptation

East of England Climate Change Adaptation Network Meeting

Wednesday 26th February 2014

December 2013 Tidal SurgeNorfolk, Suffolk & Essex

David Kemp

Flood Resilience Team LeaderEnvironment Agency

Long Term Preparation

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1953 December 2013

Breaches 1200 different locations Under investigation

Properties flooded

24,000 1,400 (10/12/2013)

Deaths 307 2 but not flood related

Agricultural Land

65,000 hectares 6,800 hectares

People evacuated

32,000 18,000

Infrastructure 2 Power stations12 Gas Works100 miles of roads200 miles of rail

Ports not drastically damagedNo power stations and major gas works/services affectedRoad and rail tbc

Flood Warnings

0 71 severe flood warningsOver 160,000 warning messages sent directly to homes and businesses

Comparison 1953 / 2013

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5 phases of management for a major coastal flooding event

Early Warning................ over 5 days outAssessment Phase........ 3 – 5 days outPreparedness Phase..... 3 days to a few hoursImpactRecovery

6

36 hours

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Forecasting

Early indication of the stormMonday 2nd December

Early indication of possible rather than probable storm

Tuesday 3rd DecemberStorm becomes probable. Partners advised.

Wednesday 4th DecemberForecast tide heights for a significant storm.SCGs formed in Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex

Thursday 5th DecemberSevere Flood Warnings issued at 0530hrsTide arrives in Wells next the Sea at 1915hrs

Gearing up and working with our partners

MondayAssessing our resourcesInformal contact with LRF duty officers

TuesdayFormal contact with all 3 LRFRED Telecon

WednesdayDeterministic predictions for a significant tideRequest SCG in each county

Formal Liaison Via SCG

Provision of liaison officers to all three LRFProvision of storm forecastIdentification of areas at risk Statistics on flooding (e.g. numbers at risk)Interpretation of forecast and prediction of impactsMapsFlood Warnings and Severe Flood Warnings

Leith T-3:44

Scarborough T-2:14

Immingham T-0:26

BostonT – 0:18

HunstantonT

0000 hrs

IndicativeTidal Timings

UNCLASSIFIED

Warnings Issued

Across Eastern Area33 Severe Flood Warnings73 Flood Warnings40 Flood Alerts

In Norfolk (Eastern and Central Area Figures)

9 Severe Flood Warnings46 Flood Warnings14 Flood Alerts

17

UNCLASSIFIED

People Warned in Norfolk

Total Properties Registered:10293 out of ~13000 properties.

We had an average success rate in Norfolk of 80%

Approximately 8235 properties warned via FWD but probably higher.• If you don’t acknowledge the call it shows as a failure.• People not answering the telephone call will also

count as a failure after 3 attempts. • Number was unobtainable / engaged.

18

Preparing the operational response

Tues 3 December

Prepared Field Teams for event.Weds 4 December

Mutual aid request for people and equipment.Obtained additional equipmentBriefed contractors

Thurs 5 DecemberDeployment

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The event

5th December 2013

Highest tidal level since 1953Higher than 1953 in Norfolk

45,985 individual flood warning messages sent.

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Comparative Tide Heights

23

Monitoring Location

1953 2013

Wells-next-the-Sea 5.13 m AODN 5.215m AODN

Great Yarmouth 3.28m AODN 3.318m AODN

Lowestoft 3.35m AODN 3.291m AODN

Felixstowe 4.02m AODN 3.447m AODN(Harwich)

Holland 4.05m AODN 3.756m AODN(Clacton)

Southend 4.62m AODN 4.10m AODN

Tilbury 4.85m AODN 4.201m AODN

Impacts of the event

UNCLASSIFIED

Wells-next-the-Sea

25

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UNCLASSIFIED

Blakeney

28

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UNCLASSIFIED

Walcott

31

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Hemsby

35

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The Aftermath

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Norfolk Property Flooded Numbers

38

Community Commercial Residential TotalWells next the Sea 21 18 39

Blakeney 6 20 26

Walcott* 5 112 117

Great Yarmouth 5 15 20

Salthouse 4 4 8

East Cley 0 10 10

Hunstanton 4 3 7

Kings Lynn 7 8 15

Snettisham 0 13 13

Thornham Common 0 2 2

Burnham Deepdale 0 1 1

Burnham Overy Staithe

0 12 12

Total 52 218 270

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Suffolk Property Flooded Numbers

39

Community Commercial Residential Total

Lowestoft / Oulton Broad

90 68 158

Southwold 7 2 9

Snape 2 22 24

Orford 1 1 2

Felixstowe Ferry 8 5 13

Waldringfield 1 13 14

Aldeburgh / Slaughden

1 0 1

Woodbridge 5 2 7

Levington 0 1 1

Pin Mill 1 0 1

Ipswich 1 0 1

Totals 117 114 231

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Essex Property Flooded Numbers

40

Community Commercial Residential Total

Mistley and Manningtree

11 1 12

Harwich 1 0 1

Landermere Quay 2 0 2

Kirby le Soken 0 2 2

Brightlingsea 13 0 13

Great Bentley 1 0 1

West Mersea 2 2 4

Burnham on Crouch 3 0 3

Total 33 5 38

Prioritising the repairs

FridayUsing reports from public and our teams- deployed inspectors to priority areas.Assessed immediate flood risk- deployed contractors and our engineers.

Saturday/ SundayContinuous inspections and

planning.Details reported to allow

national prioritisation.

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Impacts of recent floods on the RSPB coastal reserves

Alex Cooper

Conservation Officer

Contents

• Recent flooding in context• Impact on RSPB reserves• How has this changed our view• Case study: Titchwell Coastal Change project• How did it perform in recent event• Landscape Scale Conservation• Conclusions

Tidal surge

• Hit the eastern coast of East of England 5th – 6th December 2013.

• Worst tidal surge since January 1953• In some areas water levels higher than those

experienced in 1953• 2 people died and 1,400 homes flooded.

Snettisham

• Reserve suffered major damage to the access and visitor facilities.

• One hide totally destroyed, two others badly damaged. Board walk totally destroyed, paths & access tracks badly damaged in places.

• The whole of the reserve was deeply flooded. The beach and large areas of vegetated shingle have been eroded and reshaped.

Havergate Island

• Deeply submerged (higher than 1953) resulting in extensive damage to sea walls, on all lagoons and visitor infrastructure.

• 2 hides, storage sheds, toilets, reception hut and volunteers accommodation inundated.

• RSPB considering long-term sustainability of the island. Repairs will be made to outer walls and breaches but spillways created to allow controlled flooding.

Minsmere

Minsmere

• Beach and dunes badly eroded• Some minor overtopping at the North Marsh• Very little natural beach frontage left• Cross banks on the beach built by the

Environment Agency damaged and need repair.

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation

• Climate Change Adaptation Framework• 8 step process to consider how climate change

affects our work and to develop appropriate responses.

• Already considering climate change in our nature reserve management plan reviews.

Adaptation measures

• Creating optimal habitat on reserves and buffering them.

• Ensuring new wetland reserves are located in areas which will have reliable water supplies.

• Creating intertidal habitat to offset predicted future reductions.

• Maintaining nesting islands for terns which are threatened by sea level rise.

• Providing suitable conditions for species to expand their range.

Titchwell Coastal Change Project

Wigeon

Pintail

Bittern

• Nationally important site.

• Freshwater habitats – reedbed.

Marsh Harrier

• Nationally important site.

• Freshwater habitats – reedbed.

Working in harmony with nature

• Coastline of international importance.

• It has been eroding for at least 100 years.

• Needed to find a solution which protected designated sites.

Natura 2000 site

Inter-tidal features Freshwater features

Natura 2000 site

How did it perform in recent floods?

• Significant and potentially severe damage to East Bank.

• Beach boardwalk destroyed.

• Work undertaken in the Coastal Change project stood up to the tidal surge.

Landscape Scale Conservation

• Climate Change Adaptation requires a landscape scale approach.

• Partnership between government, business and local community.

• Work undertaken in the Coastal Change project stood up to the tidal surge.

Conclusion

• There was significant damage to some RSPB reserves.

• Climate change adaptation already integrated into our reserve management.

• This could provide an opportunity to re-evaluate what this will mean for the most badly damaged sites.

• The RSPB believe climate change adaptation can only succeed with a partnership of government, business, farmers, developers and local communities.

Thank you!

Any questions?

The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.

Questions …….

Refreshments 11.00 – 11.15am

www.sduhealth.org.uk

East of England Climate Change Adaptation Network David PencheonDirector, Sustainable Development UnitNHS England and Public Health England

Smartlife Centre, King Hedges Road, CambridgeWednesday, 26th February, 2014

www.sduhealth.org.uk

2014 - 20202009 - 2014

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Vision

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Enable the positives

Reduce the negatives

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Goals

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Goal 1: A healthier environment

1a: valuing and enhancing natural resources

1b: reducing pollution and carbon emissions

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Goal 2: Communities and services are resilient to changing times and climates

2a: personal / family / community resilience

2b: protecting the most vulnerable

2c: multi-agency planning / delivery

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Goal 3: Every opportunity contributes to healthy lives, communities and environments

3a: Prevent ill health / reduce care needs

3b: Empower self management

3c: Integrate services, align incentives

3d: Exploit health co-benefits

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Modules

www.sduhealth.org.uk

www.sduhealth.org.uk

• Reduced environmental impact– including meeting/exceeding legal targets

• Prepared citizens and communities– heatwaves, flooding, cold/extreme events– Adaptation Reporting Power / National Adaptation Programme

• Local community leadership– Health and Wellbeing Boards

• Embedding sustainability and resilience– In all strategic / operational plans and decisions

• Improved health and wellbeing– Measurable progress in outcomes

www.sduhealth.org.uk

www.sduhealth.org.uk

Climate change, communities and social justice

Katharine Knox, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Role and focus of Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Search: causes of

social problems

Demonstrate: solutions

Influence: policy and practice

POVERTY:To identify the root causes of poverty and injustice

PLACE:To support resilient communities where people thrive

AGEING SOCIETY:To respond positively to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing society

OU

R W

OR

K T

HE

ME

S

Mission: lasting change for people and places in

poverty, communities where everyone can thrive and a more equal society.

Social impacts of climate change

Climate change will affect health and

wellbeing in different ways from direct impacts of flood,

heat, drought and water scarcity to

issues over costs of living, including due to policy responses

from energy and other policies eg

affecting fuel poverty

Climate change

Food insecurity

Energy insecurity and fuel poverty

Increased costs of living

Service failures

Migration and cohesion

Impacts of flood/heat/

drought/ water

scarcity

What are the issues?

See Audit Commission, Staying afloat, 2007

Why does social justice matter?

Distributional justice: climate impacts and policy/practice responses will have varied impacts which could increase health and other social inequalities

Procedural justice: whose voice is heard in decisions, who decides what action is taken?

Inter and intra-generational justice: implications of responses today for future generations (invest to save)

JRF focus on vulnerable and people facing poverty and disadvantage

Who is vulnerable and how does it link to wellbeing?

• Vulnerability is a matter of how external stresses impact on well-being

• People are more vulnerable if they are less able to respond to stresses placed on their well-being

• Key questions: how is vulnerability distributed? And how should inequality be measured?

1. Likelihood and severity of the weather related event – flood, heatwave

2. Vulnerability: The conversion of the event into welfare impacts and losses

3. Climate disadvantage is a function of 1 and 2.

Who is vulnerable to flooding?

• Dynamic social and spatial issue (changes over people’s lives)

• Personal, social and environmental factors• Climate disadvantage = the likelihood & degree of exposure to

a hazard e.g. flooding/ heatwave combined with vulnerability

Adaptive capacity

Exposure

Vulnerability

SensitivityAbility to respond

Ability to recover

Adaptive capacity

Exposure(Enhanced)

Vulnerability

Sensitivity

Ability to prepare

Adaptive capacity

Exposure(Enhanced)

Vulnerability

Sensitivity

Important factors affecting vulnerabilitySocial factors:Adaptive capacity

Personal factors:Sensitivity

Environmental factors:Enhanced exposure

Low income Age (very young & elderly)

Neighbourhood characteristics (green/blue space)

Tenure: ability to modify living environment

Health status: illness Housing characteristics: (e.g basement/ high rise/ single storey buildings)

Mobility and access to services

Special care Buildings (ventilation/cool spaces)

Social isolation Homeless, tourists, transient groups

High housing density

Information and local knowledgeAccess to insurance

Flood disadvantage in England

• Some areas have both high socio spatial vulnerability and high potential exposure to flooding

• Urban and coastal areas particularly vulnerable

• Most flood disadvantaged region is Yorkshire & Humber (ie social vulnerability coincides with high likelihood of flooding)

Heat disadvantage in England

• London’s high average vulnerability to heat is coupled with a tendency for higher temperatures so makes it a particular area of concern

• Other areas of concern mainly in south and east

• Also questions re water availability and drought in some of these areas

Messages from JRF research…

• Compounded injustice in relation to climate change in UK– Low income households who contribute least to problem

(lowest emissions) also…– Among worst effected by climate change impacts – Pay more and benefit less from responses to it (through

energy bills & measures)– Often have least voice in decisions

• Poverty is an important factor increasing vulnerability

• To support resilience, need to build adaptive capacity – to prepare, respond and recover from climate impacts

JRF Programme on Climate Change & Communities

Supporting local futures in the context of

climate disadvantage

Public health role in climate responses

Climate justice

resources

Food security

Community resilience

Policy briefingsPractitioner engagement

Evidence review

Follow on project

Local action research

Web portal and workshops

Policy engagement

Evidence review

Aim: support vulnerable disadvantaged local areas and

communities to increase resilience to climate change

Policy engagement

Research

Programme running from 2013-17

Aims of ClimateJust…

To provide information & guidance that can support practitioners at a local level to develop socially just responses to climate change in UK

What could it help you with?• Awareness of key issues on developing socially just responses to

climate change • Understand which people and places are vulnerable to climate

impacts of flooding and heat• Understand responsibility for emissions and patterns of fuel poverty • Assess local patterns of social vulnerability and connect these to

actions (- maps to assess local risk)• Identify who needs to be involved in developing responses • Develop ideas on possible strategies and actions • Make a case for equitable action (eg to address strategic priorities)• Support responses by learning from case studies of local action

About the ClimateJust resource

• Aims to: – Raise awareness of social justice in a

changing climate – Increase knowledge about vulnerable

groups in the context of climate change

– Help to respond to climate change impacts and challenges

• Searchable resource• Draws on existing tools and

resources • New information about vulnerability

to climate change impacts based on census 2011 data

• Online portal, hosted by Climate UK

Maps

Messages

Stories

Case studies

How to documents

Tool introductions

Glossary

FAQs

Rationale for action

Introducing ClimateJust: web portal

Resources to help delivery of equitable responses to climate change at local level

ClimateJust Web portal resources

Who is most vulnerable to flooding and high

temperatures?

Where are the most disadvantaged communities in relation to flooding and high

temperatures?

What actions can be taken to improve local community

resilience to flooding and high temperatures?

What is the distribution of household CO2

emissions? Who is most likely to

experience fuel poverty?

How can the transition to low carbon

communities be made more equitable?

What local actions can be taken to tackle fuel

poverty?

Why use ClimateJust?

Primary audience is local authorities and partners in social care, health, housing and voluntary and community sector with a role in supporting vulnerable groups affected by climate change/policy & practice responses

Responding

Awareness Raising

LearningThe National Adaptation Programme mentions the

ClimateJust project as one of the initiatives which can help deliver

on its Objective 13:

To minimise the impacts of climate change on vulnerable

groups in society by strengthening their resilience to better prepare for, respond to and recover from

future climate risk.

ClimateJust next steps

• Content developed by Manchester University• Being used to develop a website• Website to be hosted by Climate UK• User testing over the Summer• Due for completion by end 2014• Practitioner workshops to support use• Would you like to get involved?

Please get in touch to find out more:

Katharine.Knox@jrf.org.uk www.jrf.org.uk

Twitter: @jrf_uk @katharineknox

Questions ……

Table Discussion

Looking at the England and Wales Precipitation series, which dates back to 1766, the Met office has recorded it as the wettest December to January since 1876/1877 and the 2nd wettest overall in the series. It was the windiest December for the UK in records back to 1969, based on the occurrence of winds in excess 60 kts (69mph)…..

Table Discussion

Q1 What do you think about the media’s portrayal of these events, the images you have seen on television, the stories of you have heard in the news and online?

Table Discussion

• Q2 What do you think about the political discussion surrounding these events and the debates about prioritisation for the environment, the economy or for broader social benefit?

Table Discussion

• Q3 From a more practical and operational perspective, what impact do you think these weather events will have on your approach to resilience and climate change adaptation? Will you need to use different messages; will you be able to make the business case for adaptation easier; can you see improved opportunities for collaboration?

Reflections & Summary