' Early Warning ' Flood Forecasting Centre Officially Opened

[Coast]

www.24dash.com/news/Early-warning-Flood-Forecasting-Centre

The new £10.4 million centre is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is based in Farringdon, London. It is funded by DEFRA (£5m), the Environment Agency (£4.9m), Welsh Assembly Government (£250,000) and the Met Office (£76,000) and employs a team totalling 26, including hydrologists, weather forecasters and support staff.

So what do the 26 staff do in just drizzle or, heaven forbid, a drought - read through our model output discussion threads?

[Cakie]

They will probably do "what if" scenarios, like "will it rain in Carlisle?" building models to test certain theories. I could help them, I'm a dab hand with the double side tape

Seriously though, does seem like a good idea to join the different areas together rather than have a disjointed response to such events.

[Harry]

Surely one qualified meteorologist, and someone with an A*-C in GCSE Geography/Geology could be just as viable with regards to forecasting flooding? Then hire a capable telephonist and administrator et voila?

I would be confident, from the geological/geographical side at least, to be able to compile data and therefore say where ground is likely to be saturated, with a high water table, and therefore to predict where flooding is likely. A knowledge of the water table, obtaining associated data, underlying rock across the country, river locations inc features such as meanders, contour changes and geographical profile, urban run off, evapo-transpirational processes (leaves and vegetation catching an absorbing rainfall in summer), where rivers have flooded before and whether the flood defences are adequate...common sense isnt it?

Seems another ridiculous over-spend to me, especially when quite a lot of the floods in recent times have been caused by sudden downpours/thunderstorms, which as we know all too well are virtually unpredictable with regards location and severity, and the warnings which are issued as a result aren't until the storm has already kicked off and started the flooding process....

It really is complete nonsense IMO! Next flood that occurs - "why wasn't I informed", "how could you not have foreseen this", or on the contrary, "I am sick of moving all of my furniture up and down stairs everytime someone thinks it might rain heavily"...

Another waste of valuable millions when common sense should have dictated a far less costly approach to this 'problem'.