Flood response exercise to be held
08/03/2011
The largest civil defence exercise ever in Britain will be carried out in England and Wales in the next week to make sure home insurance claims are the only price people pay in the event of devastating floods similar to those seen in 2007.
Exercise Watermark, will involve 10,000 people and see rooftop rescues, a school evacuation and helicopters scrambled amid a number of scenarios to test the state of preparation for future floods.
Ten government departments, emergency services, utility companies and local communities will also take part in responses to situations like flash flooding, reservoirs threatening to burst, overflowing rivers and a North Sea tidal surge.
The flood budget has been protected "way in excess" of areas of other funding during the recent spending cuts as it is a priority of government, according to environment minister Richard Benyon.
Ministers have targets to protect an extra 145,000 homes from the threat of flooding in the next four or five years, Mr Benyon added.
Copyright © Press Association 2011
