Past floods hold the key to stopping furture troubles

Jun 3 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

LEARNING the lessons from devastating floods of the past should be part of preparations for the flooding of the future, warns a river expert.

David Archer is a hydrologist who lives in Ovingham in Northumberland – “well above the river”.

He has studied rivers and the water cycle worldwide, and has written a book, Land of Singing Waters, on the rivers and great floods of Northumbria.

Today David will deliver a free public community lecture on the region’s big floods of the past at 2.30pm at Sunderland University’s Sir Tom Cowie Lecture Theatre, Prospect Building on the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s.

This will include the catastrophic Great Flood of 1771 on the Tyne, Wear and Tees.

David has worked for Northumbrian Water and the former National Rivers Authority and now works part time for Newcastle water engineering consultancy JBA.

He said: “Scientifically-measured river flow records do not provide an adequate basis for assessing flood risk to riverside communities, as recent extreme floods have shown.

“Historical flood information enhances our understanding of flood risk but also provides an insight into how people and communities have responded to past extreme floods, especially the Great Flood of 1771.”