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Last updated: 10 March 2010
Extreme weather conditions come under the jurisdiction of the Met Office [External website]
The Environment Agency [External website] is the lead for flooding and drought in England and Wales, with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency [External website].
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The weather and its impacts are seldom far from our lives. Around 5 million people, in 2 million properties, for example, live in flood risk areas in England and Wales. And of course, the whole of the UK is at risk of severe weather. It will never be technically, environmentally, or economically possible to prevent flooding or severe weather entirely.
Instead, the UK Government seeks to manage the risk through better early warning, improved defences, and enhanced education and awareness etc. The Environment Agency [External website], which reports to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) [External website], and the Met Office (a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence) [External website], have important roles in warning people about the risk of severe weather and flooding, and in reducing the likelihood of flooding from rivers and the sea.
The types of severe weather and flooding conditions that the UK Government uses for contingency planning purposes are severe storms and gales, persistent low temperatures and heavy snow, heat waves, and major flooding (coastal, tidal and fluvial at local and national scales).
This review, which is being led by the Cabinet Office, will study the emergency response to the floods in June and July 2007 and look at ways to reduce the risk and impact of flooding in future. Sir Michael Pitt, the independent chair overseeing the review, welcomes comments, ideas and suggestions from all sections of the community regarding the review, as well as feedback on the experiences of those affected by the floods.
General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
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