The Construction Centre supports Sir Michael Pitts’ Flood Report

Following the release of The Pitt Review this week, on the severe flooding which hit the UK in June and July this year, The Construction Centre issued a statement fully supporting its recommendations.

The document highlights fifteen urgent areas which need immediate attention in order to prevent some of the disastrous outcomes experienced during the summer. Many of the recommendations concentrated on flood preparation and planning which The Construction Centre agreed was critical. In order to ensure homeowners and the public are fully prepared before flooding occurs; the review particularly highlighted the need for a stringent process by which people are informed about the threat of a flood. The report indicated that homeowners were in denial about the potential risks during the summer and were therefore inadequately prepared which has infuriated many people who were affected by the floods.

At the time of the floods, The Construction Centre .co.uk released a comprehensive guide for homeowners detailing what to do before and after a flood with a list of product suppliers providing services and items to help people prepare and recover. The Environment Agency has since selected The Construction Centre as a valuable reference and source of information in their flooding leaflets also published this week. Many of the actions contained in the Pitt Review for homeowners, such as putting together a flood kit and ensuring people are in a state of readiness upon a flood alert being issued are also contained on The Construction Centre website.

The Construction Centre stated today that the events of the summer have affected many thousands of people many of whom still have not been able to return to their homes. The Pitt Review calls for local resilience forums to coordinate emergency planning and re-housing locations, involve local media and set up flood warning telephone schemes to ensure people are fully aware of the protocols before and after a flood.

One of the main concerns for Sir Michael Pitt was to protect infrastructure such as water and power plants which were also affected by flooding and which had a consequential effect on many thousands of people who were without water and electricity supply for days.

Pitt warned that “There were some sites with critical infrastructure on them; power stations, for example, which came extremely close to flooding, where something like half a million homes could have been without power. I am concerned about the vulnerability of some of our critical infrastructure and very anxious that we do something about that quickly.”

Richard Simmons, Managing Director at The Construction Centre said; “The information contained on our website already outlines everything the home owner needs to know before, during and after a flood. We have hundreds of suppliers listed on our website throughout the UK who can provide flood defence and recovery products.”

He continued “In today’s world people have got to learn not to rely on the government and authorities to sort out their problems. People need to expect the worst while hoping for the best and they need to be accountable for the health of their bodies and homes. If people know they are likely to get flooded again they need to make sure they have put the right precautions in place for their families. Blaming the government or authorities doesn’t work. People need to consider airbricks, mechanical door guards, plastic or PVC skirting and stainless steel kitchens. A completely different view needs to be undertaken about house design and the items in them, ensuring they are flood resistant or easily dried. Everyone should understand that global warming is here and that the possibility of flooding isn’t a possibility but in fact a reality.”

The Construction Centre stated that it hoped that the Pitt Review would encourage the government, insurance firms and the general public to regard flooding as a serious threat to the nation’s stability, structure and well being.

For more information
http://www.theconstructioncentre.co.uk/flood-advice
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/thepittreview/interim_report.aspx

Contact:
Angela Gallacher (Head of Press and Marketing)
Telephone: +44 (0)1926 865825
Address: 1 Alpha House, Farmer Ward Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2ED

www.theconstructioncentre.co.uk

The Construction Centre: Number 1 for delivering results on products and people

Targeted at consumers and the building industry, The Construction Centre has the largest online directory containing over 10,000 UK product manufacturers and suppliers with over 97,000 product search terms. Additionally there are over 50,000 contact details for merchants, industry professionals, tradesmen and contractors. Local Authority planning websites, trade publications and jobs can also be directly accessed from The Construction Centre.

Based in Warwickshire The Construction Centre is part of the UK250 Ltd group.

This release was published on openPR.