Edinburgh’s flooding response as half of July’s rain falls in one hour
The City of Edinburgh Council’s roads and flood prevention teams worked throughout last night to respond to surface water and flooding as a result of Sunday’s extreme weather.
Officers, supported by additional resources, are working closely with Scottish Water, who are responsible for sewers, to check for blockages and clear surface water, with up to 37mm of rain – around half of the total average rainfall for the month of July – falling in less than an hour on Sunday.
As the clean-up continues, and with a yellow warning of rain in place for Monday, drivers are being encouraged to take extra care and avoid flooded areas, particularly to reduce further damage to homes and businesses from backwash from cars.
The flood prevention team has been monitoring river flows throughout the night, closing lower flood gates at Baird Drive and Stockbridge Colonies as a precautionary measure, as well as clearing some localised culvert trash screens.
With a flood alert issued by SEPA still in place, officers will continue to check river flows and weather forecasts and respond accordingly.
The city’s gullies are cleaned following a rolling programme and over the last fortnight the most sensitive gullies have been cleared, as part of more than 10,500 gullies cleaned since March. Intense rainfall of the kind experienced on Sunday is extremely rare and exceeds the capacity of roads drainage and sewerage systems, though it is becoming more frequent as weather patterns change.
The Council’s Transport leaders have praised teams for their efforts to tackle the impact of the dramatic downpours.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: Our roads and flood prevention teams have worked extremely hard, throughout Sunday and overnight, to minimise the impact of this intense, sudden downpour.
“This was in close partnership with Scottish Water, who are responsible for the city’s sewer system, and I’d like to thank all those involved for their swift response. No city’s drainage systems are designed to cope with the sort of short, sharp volume of water experienced yesterday.
“As it’s not possible to predict this kind of extreme weather, which is regrettably is becoming more frequent as climate change effects intensify, localised flooding was unfortunately inevitable.
“However, our sympathies are with anyone who has experienced damage to their property as a result of flooding, and officers, along with partners, are working flat out to make sure the aftermath is cleared as quickly as possible.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “Flash flooding like we experienced yesterday is extremely challenging, but we’ve been doing everything we can to minimise its negative effects across the city, along with Scottish Water.
“We’re now beginning the clean-up, but there’s still significant surface water in some parts of the city, so I would encourage everyone to take extra care if travelling today.”
Information from the Scottish Flood Forum on coping with the aftermath of a flood is available on their website.
Find advice on severe weather on the Council’s website.