28/06/2005 - Ferocious
waves and gale force winds wiped out flood
defences, causing death, widespread damage
to transport, power, water and communication
networks and leaving thousands of people homeless
– but only on paper. This was the scenario
faced by the civil contingencies network for
England and Wales as it took part in the first
nationwide extreme flood exercise - Triton
04.
A combination of high spring tides, storm
surge, and high winds sent massive waves surging
down the east coast from the Humber to Southampton.
Meanwhile, the coasts of north and south Wales
were simultaneously hit by a west coast tidal
flood. Coastal towns and city centres flooded,
disruption to homes, infrastructure, industry
and business was widespread. People and livestock
drowned. The full potential impacts of climate
change were graphically brought home.
Masterminded by the Environment Agency, this
extreme scenario - bigger and more devastating
than anything experienced - was designed both
to test resilience and preparedness in an
emergency across government and emergency
response services, and the strategic response
to post-emergency recovery. A full report
on Exercise Triton 04 entitled Working Together
for a Better Flood Response is published today,
co-inciding with a presentation of the key
exercise findings to the conference of the
Emergency Planning Society which is taking
place in Harrogate.
Some 1000 Representatives of over 60 organisations
- including the Environment Agency's most
senior flood defence and operational managers,
chief police officers, strategy managers from
local government and senior officials from
the Department for Environment, Food an Rural
Affairs (Defra), Cabinet Office and Welsh
Assembly Government (WAG) - participated at
local, regional and national levels in the
three-day Exercise Triton 04 last summer.
Strategic multi-agency management teams,
based at 35 locations across the country,
were confronted with details of the emergency
as it developed in real time, presenting them
with critical decisions to take in relation
to public warning, evacuation and information
needs, and testing contingency plans and prioritisation
of support and resources, including military
aid, both for the immediate situation and
the longer term recovery. The exercise tested
the full chain of command up to and including
the processes required to secure emergency
powers.
Commenting on the Exercise, Environment Agency
Chief Executive Barbara Young said:
“Extreme events, which are weather and/or
tide determined, can never be ruled out. Exercise
Triton 04 tested the nation’s ability to work
together to deal effectively with a major
flooding emergency and has put us in a better
position to anticipate and manage all the
consequences should they occur.
"It is absolutely vital that, as a nation,
we are well prepared for large scale events
such as coastal flooding, especially in areas
that are most at risk. Climate change presents
us with rising sea levels, more extreme weather
and more frequent and widespread flooding.
This is exactly the scenario we tested in
Exercise Triton 04."
The Environment Agency was tasked by Defra
with conducting a national
extreme flood exercise in conjunction with
local authorities and emergency services in
order to help ensure an integrated response
to flood forecasting, flood warning and emergency
response. The scenario deliberately tested
events and systems that would not normally
be planned for.
The report of Exercise Triton 04 includes
a detailed list of recommendations which will
be taken forward by the relevant parties.
Key lessons and recommendations include:
Multi-Agency working
Improve information sharing and strategic
co-ordination between lead Government departments
Improve knowledge or roles and responsibilities
Improve forecasting of timing, extent and
impact of tidal flooding
Emergency plans and procedures
Local and national plans are generally appropriate
Improve plans for evacuation of people prior
to flooding
Establish strategic recovery plans to prioritise
actions
Communications
Timing, speed and method of reporting is
critical
Improve compatibility and resilience of communication
systems
Review media arrangements to improve co-ordination
and speed of messages
Resources
Improve information sharing on resource availability
Identify priorities on a national and regional
scale
Identify and maintain a competent pool of
key incident respondees
Exercise Triton 04 was conducted in the run
up to the passing of the Civil Contingencies
Act 2004. By following the planned workings
of the Act, however, the Exercise assisted
in informing the preparation of guidance in
respect of the Act in the following areas:
terms of reference for the Government Offices
in the Regions during civil emergencies the
appointment and role of the Regional Nominated
Co-ordinators, including exit strategies appropriate
procedures when requesting emergency powers,
and revision of plans and procedures across
the board to take account of the new guidance.
The report of Exercise Triton 04 is published
by the Environment Agency, Defra and WAG and
is available on our website (see link). A
summary of the key points of the report -
Exercise Triton 04: Overview of lessons identified
- is also available on the website or can
be obtained, free of charge, by calling 08708
506506.
