Plans for sea flooding resulting from a storm or storm surge. - Find a freedom of information request

As part of my research for an upcoming newspaper article and magazine feature on the effects of a global warming in Lincolnshire, I would like to request information from the County Council on its contingency plans for sea flooding resulting from a storm or storm surge.

(1) Does the Council have emergency options in place for sea flooding and is it possible to have details and know what the trigger for different levels of action would be?

(2) In the event of a severe storm surge being forecast that is likely to lead to inland flooding does the Council have plans in place to evacuate people from homes, villages or towns that might be under threat? How would these be implemented?

(3) Has the Council prepared a plan looking at the different severities of potential sea floods and is it possible to have a copy/link?

(4) In light of the forecast increased flood threat in coming years is the Council offering specific advice to households living in at risk areas?

(5) Does the Council have a specific department/team tasked with such flood issues?

(6) What investment and mitigation measures has the Council (recently and planned) put into extending flood defences and in which areas are these?

(7) Has the Council decided (due to costs or other reasons) to 'abandon' any coastal defences in specific areas? 

(8) Has the Council performed a study assessing the increased impacts of sea flooding as a result of global warming and are there any maps/diagrams available showing different scenarios of how far flooding might come inland?

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

The Environment Agency is responsible for coastal management in Lincolnshire and therefore maintenance of coastal sea defences.

They also operate Floodline which provides advice and guidance around flooding and have warning mechanisms in place if a tidal surge is predicted.

It is suggested contacting the Environment Agency direct will provide more background information on coastal flood risk and monitoring. Information may also be obtained through the .gov.uk website.

The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum has played an active role in developing innovative and forward-looking arrangements for managing preparation, response and recovery in relation to flooding emergencies.

Effective partnership working is in place to ensure that the emergency Local Flood Plan dovetails with the ongoing operational responsibilities of all partners in Lincolnshire.

The LRF carry out;

Identification of the places and people who are at risk Production of multi-agency plans to evacuate those communities who are at risk Strategic planning to protect the areas at risk Development of ways and means of alerting the public as early as possible when there is a significant flood risk More information can be found via Flooding – Lincolnshire Resilience Forum or contacting them direct.

https://lincolnshireresilienceforum.org/flooding/

However, for planning purposes, the Environment Agency (responsible for coastal flood defences) and County Council (as Lead Local Flood Authority) are the ‘lead responders’ for flooding incidents.

Due to the scale of a potential coastal flood threat, co-ordination of the multi agency responses in the county will be chaired by Lincolnshire Police. The coordination of recovery will be chaired by the County Council or most affected District/Borough Council (local authority).

The Strategic Coastal Flood Plan for Lincolnshire can be found here:

Multi-Agency Pandemic Influenza Contingency Framework (e-lindsey.gov.uk)