Property Floods

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Property 41

Floods

By Chris Ennis FRICS It has, by any standards, been a wet winter. The whole country seems to be awash - water everywhere. The Arun valley and floodplain is always affected in the winter months and river levels have been very high during periods of spring tides coinciding with low atmospheric pressure. I have seen the seafront at Goring awash, farmland flooded at Clymping and numerous domestic integral garages affected by flash floods. I have seen flooding affecting the Rver Rife although engineering work has reduced this risk over recent years. Pulborough has been badly affected as have parts of the River Rother valley. We see pictures of swollen rivers and destruction every day on the TV news. The misery of seeing your property and possessions ruined in a flood must be devastating. The recovery process can be very lengthy, expensive and the value of your property will inevitably be affected. Every purchaser should have an environmental report prepared prior to purchase in which, amongst many things, flood risk is assessed.

Flooding can take a number of forms, the most publicised of which is River flooding. It occurs when rivers and streams are unable to carry away excess water through the usual drainage channels. Adjacent low-lying properties are likely to be flooded. Surface water flooding occurs following periods of heavy and persistent rain, often falling on saturated ground where normal drainage systems cannot cope with the volume of water. Groundwater flooding occurs when persistent rain raises the water table level above adjacent land. At times of world climate change, rising sea levels can be the cause of Coastal flooding, where sea defences prove to be inadequate in storm conditions. Recently, a breach in the sea defences caused flooding at Clymping. If your property is in an area which might be affected by flooding be sure to arrange insurance and have a plan to minimise damage, remembering that there may be no electricity supply to operate pumping systems. There are a number of patent flood defence systems available for sale, the most basic of which are sandbags and sand. Spare a thought for the flood-struck residents in the North of the country. Chris Ennis FRICS email: surveyor1@talktalk.net 01903 261 217 or www.propdoctor.co.uk

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