Agenda item

(To receive a presentation from Ian Reed, Head of Emergency Planning & Business Continuity, which provides an update on the Emergency Planning response to the Summer 2019 Flooding incidents)

Consideration was given to a verbal report by the Head of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity which provided an update on the Emergency Planning response to the summer 2019 flooding incidents.

The Head of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity echoed comments that extreme rainfall and flooding incidents were becoming more regular and more large scale flooding incidents should be expected in the future. Lincolnshire's Risk Register detailed Coastal River and Flash Flooding as one of the top 10 risks to the county.

 A timeline of events relating to the Emergency Planning Response was outlined:

·       4 June 2019 – The emergency planning team began responding to sporadic incidents of flooding and the service activated command procedures.

·       12 June 2019 – the Internal Drainage Board reported a breach in the river at Wainfleet. Full command support and command procedures were activated and the county emergency centre was opened. Coronation Hall in Wainfleet was also opened for use by the local community as a place where the public could receive help and information.

·       13 June – parts of Wainfleet began to be evacuated. Military support was requested.

·       15 June – a temporary repair was made to the breach.

·       16 June – water began to be pumped away from the affected areas.

·       24 June – Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) handed over to East Lindsey District Council as the recovery phase started.

Overall, the response to the incident had been positive. The Head of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity highlighted the following in relation to the emergency planning response:

·       Over 29 different Lincolnshire Resilience Forum organisations had contributed to the response.

·       LCC had a good relationship with the local media. However, the large amount of national media attention created an extra pressure on officers responding to the incidents and lessons had been learned that would now be considered for future incidents.

·       LCC were unable to make claims under the Bellwin Scheme for this incident, which would have provided emergency financial assistant to local authorities.

·       The emergency planning team worked 60-70 hours on top of their usual weekly contracted hours during the incident, which had been resource intensive. Officers acknowledged the importance of the welfare of their staff members. Since the incident, rotas and improvements had been put in place to ensure that all staff members were getting an adequate amount of rest.

·       Officers had recognised the importance of financial records and procurements procedures, especially when there are a large number of people wanting to make cash donations. Since the incident, governance had been put in place to manage these procedures.

·       There were a large number of volunteers willing to help during the incident and it was important that volunteers were aware of the health and safety and response procedures that were in place. A policy and mutual aid agreement had now been agreed to ensure the safety of volunteers during emergencies.

·       The volunteer groups that had already received training from LCC proved invaluable and officers were proud of the resilience programme, which was now being expanded.

·       Officers were investigating ways to capture data and intelligence around the departments and vulnerable people and how they could share data in an emergency.

·       Officers had recognised the longer term mental health issues that could arise as a result of the damage to agricultural land around Wainfleet. It was important to ensure that farmers and any other individuals suffering as a result of the flooding had access to the right support.

·       LCC officers were asked to dial into cabinet office briefing meetings to ensure that the council had everything they needed and to provide assurance that the situation and recovery was being adequately dealt with.

·       Business continuity plans had been activated in some departments to ensure that core business was still being operated.

·       There were some issues with the security of the flooding sites. Officers tried to ensure that they had given local communities the right information to identify rogue traders.

·       The incident had resulted in a number of people affected by the flooding being visited by a number of different partner organisations, many of them asking for overlapping information. As a result, the door knocking policy had been updated which had meant the design of 'one form that fits all' to ensure that multiple visits did not occur in future.

·       An evacuation leaflet was being designed which would provide advice, contact numbers and further information in case of an emergency. All departments would be provided with the opportunity to have input into the leaflet.

·       Officers had recognised the importance of ensuring that the whole organisation was briefed on the incident and all the necessary officers were adequately informed.

·       The use of Business Support staff at the emergency centre had been invaluable during the incident.

Members were invited to ask questions, in which the following points were noted:

·       Members echoed public feedback that LFR had responded excellently to the incident.

·       Officers advised that an LCC Compliance Officer attended all of the emergency planning services strategic meetings with a list of past debriefs and learning from national events to ensure that that mistakes were not repeated.

·       It was hoped that the adequacy of the Bellwin formula was being considered at a national level as many organisations were unable to afford the financial burden that similar emergencies posed.

·       Members were advised that the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum would usually recommend that developers did not build in floodplain areas. It was acknowledged that this was a district council issue.

·       Residents of Wainfleet were advised that they were able to bring pets with them when evacuated.

·       It was recognised that unless there was a threat of terrorism, authorities had no power to force people to evacuate.

·       Officers confirmed that mental health support would be available for vulnerable people being requested to evacuate. There would also be support available at rest centres.

·       The Chief Fire Officer thanked the Emergency Planning and Business Continuity team for their hard work during the incident.

·       The Chairman acknowledged the high level of community spirit during the incident. It was noted that the Chairman of the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum had been asked to nominate people to attend the Royal Garden Party. Officers had tried to give local people in Wainfleet the opportunity to attend.

RESOLVED:

          That the report and findings be noted.