Following flooding in the West of Scotland over the last few days, Paul Hendy of the Scottish Flood Forum was interviewed by David MacKay on Scotland Tonight.

Do you agree or disagree with the comments made by Paul?

It is becoming increasingly clear that years of underinvestment by local authorities and Scottish Water need to be scrutinised from a flooding viewpoint. Both should and must do more in the coming years as the statutory duties of the Flood Risk Management Scotland Act 2009 come fully into force.

Our experience with Fife Council has seen a massive improvement in the way they deal with flooding over the last three years. The flood officers are taking their duties extremely seriously, working hard behind the scenes to do as much as possible. Unfortunately the budget they are given is no where near enough!

Many properties were built on sites where flooding was either not considered or the development was allowed to take place as long as it appeared to meet a 1 in 30 year flood return period. Thankfully the building standards of today insist on at least 1 in 200 years and it is now common for a Flood Risk Assessment to be performed in areas at risk of flooding.

SEPA has impressed FFAG over the last few years as they carefully consider flooding issues and planning applications. They’ve saved the community from worse flooding on more than one occasion.

Sad to see flooding occurring in Scotland following the torrential rain over the last few days.

BBC flood photos:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15943842

Abington Primary School pupils rescued from flooding:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15945986

Drivers stuck after rain causes flooding in Scotland:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-15922080

Here’s hoping no one has had their home flooded.

A flood alert is in force for Fife:

SEPA has issued a FLOOD ALERT for Fife.

Due to a continued period of prolonged and heavy rain which is forecast to continue throughout Wednesday, there is a risk of localised flooding, particularly from small watercourses, in the western areas of the region. The east of the region is not expected to experience the same degree of risk.
Intense periods of rainfall could result in some localised surface water issues in the west of the region, particularly in urban areas and on impermeable surfaces, such as the road network. Standing surface water may occur in these and other low lying areas.
SEPA will monitor the situation closely and provide further information when appropriate.

Remain vigilant and remember, it is your responsibility to take actions which help protect yourself and your property. Advice and information is available through Floodline on 0845 9881188. This FLOOD ALERT UPDATE is now in force until further notice. If you haven’t already signed up to receive free flood messages, please call Floodline or register online at sepa.org.uk/floodingsignup.

Sad news from Spain as an elderly couple are drowned in a flash flood.

Full story can be found here.

This story graphically illustrates the dangers from flash flood and the speed at which they can occur.

Our thoughts are with those across the Atlantic who are suffering the worst effects of “Hurricane Irene” / “Tropical Storm Irene”.

The storm surge has already caused flooding, with further severe flooding being predicted along the east coast of the US.

Keep safe.

Sad to report more flooding in the UK. This time it is the Dorset resort of Bournemouth. Sounds fairly bad going by this Guardian news article. Further flooding is expected as the weather worsens over the next few days.

The Bournemouth Echo has graphic photographs in their coverage.

FFAG is thinking of all those affected by this latest bout of flooding. Please be careful and remember flood waters can be dangerous is so many ways.

Park Road in Rosyth has suffered devastating flooding according to the Dunfermline Press:
http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/roundup/articles/2011/08/11/416067-park-road–an-absolute-disaster-after-deluge/

STV is reporting flooding in Burntisland, Kilmany, St Andrews and Tayport:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/265820-businesses-hit-and-roads-blocked-after-flooding-in-tayside-and-fife/

The BBC has done a great job of reporting on the Rosyth flood:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-14474329

Very sad news day for Fife.  FFAG is thinking of the people in the areas affected by flooding. We hope everyone’s home is flood free.

Hopefully home owners have invested in floodgates, airbrick covers and other flood protection products. Sandbags just aren’t up to the job of preventing flooding, although they do have a part to play to help manage flood waters.

Scary rain is heading our way by Wednesday, potentially lasting into next week.

Weather forecast data for Freuchie from the Norwegian Weather Service

Fingers crossed the weathermen have it wrong.

The cumulative result of the rainfall this week past and the forecast rainfall, if repeated across Scotland, will undoubtedly and sadly result in flooding throughout Scotland.  Our experience of past flood events in Freuchie suggests these daily rainfall totals will see watercourse levels rising to levels where we will be closely monitoring the Freuchie and Pittilock Burns.

Be prepared and keep an eye on the FFAG web resources for information as the weather patterns evolve over the coming days.

The Courier has just published an article on the flooding which affected so much of Scotland and North East England. Check it out here.

Thankfully Freuchie only had about 26mm of rainfall, most of which was light, over the weekend.

Worth pointing out SEPA launched a range of new flood symbols earlier this year to make it easier to understand the likelihood of flooding. Big improvement over the old symbols.

Our thoughts go out to the people of Yorkshire affected by flash flooding yesterday afternoon and overnight.

The National Flood Forum is available to help out people in England affected by flooding.

Feel free to send Freuchie Flood Action Group a message if you have a query that is going unanswered elsewhere.

News Resources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-14396998
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14399448
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/flash-floods-force-evacuations-16032119.html
http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Floods-hit-East-Yorkshire-homes-torrential-rain/story-13067523-detail/story.html