Flooding: Who does what?

SEPA works with a number of organisations to mitigate flood risk in Scotland. The list below describes each of the organisations involved with flooding and their responsibilities:

Local authority

• Managing flood prevention and defence schemes
• Planning control
• Flood appraisal groups to provide practical guidance, information on flood risk and its implications for development to the local authority
• Assessing watercourses in non-agricultural areas for conditions likely to pose a flood risk
• Maintaining watercourses
• Working with the police, fire and rescue services in response to severe flooding
• Ensuring road gullies are operational
• Dealing with road closures (except trunk roads)
• Co-ordinating reception centres for people evacuated from their homes and arrange temporary accommodation if appropriate
• Co-ordinating the aftermath of a flood

Police

• Saving lives, rescue and recovery
• Receiving flood warnings from SEPA
• Co-ordinating the agencies involved in the rescue phase of an incident
• Being involved in the evacuation process
• Controlling traffic within the immediate area of an incident

Fire Brigade

• Assisting in the mitigation of damage wherever possible
• Being involved in the evacuation process

Hydro-Electric

• Managing the storage and release of water in their reservoirs
• Communicating with SEPA during flood events
• In some specific schemes issues flood warnings. These are separate to the warnings issued by SEPA 

Water Authority

• Managing the discharge of surface water that enters their drainage systems
• Working in partnership with the local authority and emergency services to alleviate any flooding of foul sewers and the impact of this flooding
• Maintaining water supply and drainage infrastructure
• Repairing flood damaged mains and deal with any flooding caused by bursts
• Managing the storage and release of flood water supply reservoirs
• Liaising with SEPA, local authorities and the emergency services during a flood event

Scottish Government

• National Policy on Flood Prevention and Flood Warning
• Provision of resources to enable authorities to address flooding
• Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and Planning Advice

Met Office

• Produces weather forecasts which help the UK public make informed decisions about day-to-day activities
• Warns people of extreme weather to mitigate its impacts http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html 
• Provides dedicated forecasting services to SEPA's flood warning team

Landowners

• Responsible for flood protection and insurance

Home Owners

• Responsible for protecting their property from flooding
• Responsible for acquiring home contents and buildings insurance
• Responsible for taking action to prepare for flooding

Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership

This partnership is made up of several bodies, including SEPA, Scottish Water, Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government. Its responsibilities include:

• Working in partnership on a long term solution to problems with the Greater Glasgow drainage infrastructure
• Liaising with the seven local authorities in the Metropolitan Glasgow area
• Communicating progress of the plan to affected communities and other stakeholders