FLOODING RESPONSE PLAN - Fylde Borough Council

Emergency Plan February 2007Warnings issued by the Environment Agency to professional partners such as Fylde BoroughCouncil will identify :-• The Alert Stage (Flood Watch / Flood Warning / Severe Flood Warning).• The Flood Zone Area.• An estimate of the time the flood level is likely to be reached.Flood warnings will also be broadcast by regular media bulletins on local radio and television,and in some cases warnings will also be issued directly to people affected.Often the system will move from a Flood Watch stage to a Flood Warning, then to a SevereFlood Warning and then be downgraded through all stages to All Clear. Each of the warnings,however, independently indicates the level of danger to life and property. There will becircumstances, therefore, when this ordered progression will not be appropriate. It may benecessary to move directly to Severe Flood Warning. In other circumstances a warning may bedowngraded in status from a Severe Flood Warning to a Flood Watch only to be upgraded to aSevere Flood Warning if the flooding situation deteriorates again.The term Downgrade will be used when moving down through the warning stages. Eg “the FloodWarning for the (xxx) area has been downgraded to Flood Watch.”The term Update can be used to communicate to recipients that the extent of flooding within thearea covered by a warning is forecast to increase, albeit that a step-up in warning stage is notwarranted. Eg “Flood Warning Update for the (xxx) area”. This can also be used to update amessage that has been in force for a period of time and requires updating to maintainawareness.Appendix 55Rev.0