BS 85600:2017 pdf download.Post-event flood assessments — Guidance on investigating flooding incidents
1 Scope
This British Standard gives guidance and recommendations for investigating flood events and carrying out a post-event flood assessment to ensure that consistent, good quality data can be collected repeatedly for a variety of potential uses. Specifically, it gives guidance and recommendations for: investigating flooding incidents according to the type and severity of flooding; thresholds for different levels of investigations based on the communities, businesses and infrastructures affected (e.g. domestic and commercial buildings, utilities, road and rail networks); the most useful information to collect; the organizations to contact to supply or corroborate the information; and the preparation of a report containing information collected and initial recommendations for risk management authorities. NOTE In England and Wales, Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 [1] requires Lead Local Flood Authorities to investigate and publish reports on significant flood incidents. The recommendations of this British Standard go beyond the legal requirements of Section 19, but provide a useful basis for informing such reports. No legal requirement for post-flood surveys exists in Scotland or Northern Ireland (NI). In Scotland, such reporting is carried out on an ad hoc basis only, with an annual report to Parliament on flood incidents and affected communities, produced by Scottish Government oficials. In Northern Ireland, post flood investigations are carried out as a matter of course where there is flooding from a watercourse only. In both countries good practice is followed for the surveys, although it is recognized that some form of technical standardization would be of benefit. This British Standard is applicable to investigation of natural sources of flooding, rather than failure of structures or other assets. This British Standard does not give guidance on resolving flooding or what measures to take to prevent flooding from occurring in the future (see Figure 1).
If any of the criteria are met then a flood investigation should be commenced, taking account of the severity and extent of flooding [to inform timescales and resources). If the criteria are not met, then this fact and the decision not to investigate should be recorded. The recorded incidents should determine the initial scope and methodology for the survey(s) (one incident might involve several different surveys), and the decision as to whether the survey will involve a desk study and/or a site visit. This should involve identifying the means of capturing the data and in what format they should be recorded and stored to ensure the information can be viewed and shared for use by any relevant parties in the future.
BS 85600:2017 pdf download
