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APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW PRO FORMAS
Local Authority
Thank you for agreeing to provide your views on aspects of flood emergency management and flood preparedness in your council (interviewee is assured as to personal confidentiality).
Flood emergency planning and warning dissemination - planning stage
How are the responsibilities divided both between between council and emergency services and within council departments in flood preparation (eg roads, emergency planning etc)?
How is emergency planning organised on a supra-council level?
What recent experience has there been of initiating the emergency plan or exercises based on it?
What are the procedures for warning dissemination?
What is your experience with warning dissemination?
Do you have systems in place to warn householders, landowners, businesses, directly? If so, how do they work?
Are there any areas of concern about warning coverage in your area (also directed to SEPA for a national perspective)?
Flood emergency planning and warning dissemination - operational and post-flood stage
In what ways do you use sandbags and/or other temporary flood prevention measures?
How are local contacts in the community involved at the operational stage?
What are the procedures for evacuation?
What is your experience with evacuation?
How are social tenants re-housed? What are the arrangements for others?
What are the responsibilities of council and other emergency service after a flood?
Flood preparedness - social aspects
What measures do you take to draw householders' attention to the council's flood initiatives outwith flood events?
How successful do you think these have been?
How are local stakeholders involved in formulating the emergency plans? E.g. Flood groups, community councils, landowners?
Have you any permanent flood alleviation schemes planned? What stage are these at?
What are the social aspects of the planning procedures for these schemes? How do you involve landowners, those affected directly and other stakeholders?
Insurance Industry representative
Assessing a particular property
Could you please recap the company's method for assessing the level of flood risk facing a particular property?
What is the typical level of uncertainty?
If a property is deemed to be at high risk of flooding, is the householder over obliged under your terms to put in place flood alleviation measures ( e.g. build a wall around the property, keep sandbags, pumps, etc)?
If so, what flood prevention and alleviation measures are required, and under what circumstances?
Managing flood risk
If increasing or decreasing, what are the reasons for this?
Is, or has, the company engaged in any research, analysis or information gathering in relation to better understanding current flood risk? If so, does it relate to individual properties or overall risk management?
Is, or has, the company engaged in any research, analysis or information gathering in relation to better understanding future flood risk? If so, does it relate to individual properties or overall risk management?
Does the company have any information on the reduction in risk or damage associated with:
a) flood defences?
b) flood warning schemes?
c) flood alleviation measures around the home?
d) awareness-raising initiatives ( e.g.SEPA Flood Awareness Fortnight, Local Authority Biennial Reports)?
Is the company doing anything to raise the awareness of its policy holders living in flood risk areas? If so, what? Do you know of any competitors doing so?
Do you know of any data or reports that could shed light on the social impacts of flooding and flood risk? Is it possible that the research team might be able to get access to these data?
Any miscellaneous comments on management of flood risk?
SEPA
Flood warning coverage
What is the current state of flood warning coverage nationally?
Is there room for improvement in
- areal coverage
- warning accuracy
- lead times?
In extending warning systems to new areas, what is SEPA's approach in relation to local authorities and the Executive (cost/benefit, funding issues, etc)?
Do the methods differ between catchments/ warning areas, e.g. are there differences in approach to warning when lead times are short - say 3-6 hours?
How does the information cascade operate in those catchments were it is used and does this affect the amount of warning time that can be given?
What arrangements exist for coastal flood warning?
What information does SEPA give to others during a flood alert- e.g the local authority, the emergency services, etc. To what extent is the practical role of advising individuals affected by the emergency then delegated to these bodies?
Social aspects
What are SEPA's plans for engaging
- the community
- emergency planners
- the emergency services
Outwith flood events, to try to maximise the effectiveness of flood warnings and Floodline in a given area?
How would SEPA engage with these (and any other) bodies post-flood event?
How aware do SEPA feel the public are of role in flood warning and flood prevention vis-à-vis the role of local authorities, emergency services, etc?
Based on experience with the flood awareness campaigns how have SEPA's plans for improving community knowledge of flood risk changed, if at all?
Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
National policy on flood prevention
What measures are in place to raise public and stakeholder awareness of flooding on a national level?
In what ways is the executive SE directing Local Authorities' approaches toward flood alleviation?
How will the Executive smooth out interaction between the planning system and other statutory procedures for future flood prevention schemes?
What is the current degree of take-up of the budget for flood alleviation schemes?
How will the CAR regulations impact on new schemes?
*Can you anticipate how decisions will be made on flood alleviation schemes in the future as regards sustainability? Can you anticipate how far social costs of flood risk might be factored in to such decisions?
For pluvial flooding, what is the current strategy on reducing flood risk?
Assistance to those affected by flooding
What assistance is presently offered to those unable to obtain/ afford flood insurance?
What other assistance is available from the Executive to those at risk of flooding?
What is the Executive's view on the current state of emergency planning, especially in the light of the Civil Contingency Act?
General
How far does the legislative framework (particularly the 1961 and 1997 Acts) inhibit the newer WEWS duties to promote sustainable flood management.
Scottish Water
Pluvial flooding
What are the main issues you are facing currently with regards to emergency management of sewer and drain flooding?
Can you outline for us the emergency procedures that SW follows when there is a flooding incident causing drain/ sewer backup of households?
How are your registers of households at risk of flooding drawn up?
Do you operate any warning systems and/ or procedures for these households and/or advice and information lines?
If so, can you explain how those operate?
How would your emergency procedures operate when there are a large number of households phoning in all needing assistance at the same time?
How far has the provision of drainage for new developments exacerbated problems of drainage/ sewer flooding?
Maintenance and renewal in urban areas
What measures have been taken in areas known to be at risk of drain/ sewer flooding to reduce the risk?
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