Dagenham and Rainham MP, Margaret Mullane, has met with the major UK insurance company, AVIVA, to discuss measures to protect households in the constituency from the increased risk of flooding and heat waves as a result of climate change.
In recent years the Dagenham and Rainham constituency has been impacted severely by these events. The August 2020 flooding of many homes in Brookway, South Hall Drive, Eastwood Drive, Lambs Lane South and neighbouring roads caused massive damage and distress. Then in summer 2022 wildfires in Wennington Village and fields around Ballards Lane Dagenham destroyed 34 houses.
Projections from the Environment Agency show that by 2050 25% of homes in England will be at risk of flooding and a predicted 2.1 degree temperature rise will be health threat for older people and babies.
Margaret said “These are real risks to us all from climate change. But there are things that can be done to mitigate these on a personal and local scale as well as actions that are needed on a national and international basis to address climate change.
For individual households there is really important advice on the Government’s website. It’s also so important to make sure that your home insurance covers flood damage.
Important as these personal measures are, I also want to see action by the authorities to protect us. So that means for councils and water companies to make sure that surface water drainage systems and water courses are clear and well maintained to cope with the kind of downpours that caused the terrible flooding in Rainham six years ago. We also need changes to Building Regulations to ensure low cost proven flood resilience measures are in place.
Innovative investment will be needed to protect homes against heat risk and for landowners to cut fire breaks around the perimeter of fields to prevent the spread of wildfires that destroyed homes in Dagenham and Wennington Village just four years ago.”
Advice can be found as Margaret mentioned, on the Government website that can be accessed on the links below.
Get flood warnings by text, phone or email:
https://www.gov.uk/get-flood-warnings
Check for flooding:
https://www.gov.uk/check-flooding
Personal flood plan: