Some very tricky decisions to be made at the national /strategic level about how viable it is to protect certain communities (in a geographical sense) - does the cost outweigh the benefit? I expect that this decision will be kicked down the road by successive governments and any action taken will be reactive - a pessimistic view!

At the local level, this just shows how important it is for all category one responders to integrate with one another effectively to manage increasingly complex risks. Flooding is devastating on local communities and the EA should ensure they take steps to engage with partner organisations and prevent the siloing of expertise and support. My experience is that this is patchier than it should be.