This autumn the government is due to unveil its floods and water bill, and not before time. Last summer saw flooding across Humberside, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. This month, the floods returned. In many areas, a month's rain fell in the space of just 24 hours. In Morpeth, the worst-affected area, more than 400 homes had to be evacuated.
The government has just published a "register" of all the emergencies that could befall the UK. Planning for flooding comes high up on the list.
Sir Michael Pitt's review of the 2007 floods highlighted problems in forecasting where rain will fall. The plethora of organisations planning for and rescuing victims of flooding meant that no one body took the lead, which hampered the rescue effort.
Pitt's review made a number of recommendations and in this supplement, we assess their implications. We look at how flood warnings can be simplified and profile organisations, individuals and business in the worst affected areas to find out what can be learned.
Pitt would like to see a bigger role for fire and rescue authorities and councils - we ask how this would work in practice, what responsibility utility companies need to bear and the prognosis for flood defences.
More floods could pose insurance problems for those living on flood plains. We assess the difficulties and offer advice to those needing cover.
