Flood Action Week: Local MP urges climate resilience

The MP’s call for action comes as Flood Action Week, an initiative run by the Environment Agency that urges people to prepare for increased weather extremes, gets under way (on Monday 14 October).

Ms Mayer, who says she has heard countless 'heartbreaking' stories from constituents detailing flooded and damaged homes, and businesses, says the rainy weather provided a ‘snapshot’ of how extreme weather caused by the climate emergency will impact local communities in future.

September was Bedfordshire’s wettest calendar month on record, with seven inches of rain recorded, says the Met Office. Studies meanwhile show such intense downpours, increasing the risk of flooding; heatwaves; and other extreme weather will increase due to climate change.

She says that points to the need not only for more assistance now for flooded homes, but significant climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience improvements.

The local MP, who is in contact with Ministers, the insurance industry, Anglian Water, the Council, and Environment Agency, says she backed government efforts to support more local action to tackle the climate crisis and make local economies and communities more resilient - pointing to the Met Office’s new Climate Service Tool to better support adaptation planning.

She added that she wanted to see more investment in natural solutions like tree planting, retrofit upgrades to millions more homes and more simplified measures to help households become more resilient to future flooding.

Ms Mayer also made the point that the area needs to "brace" itself ahead of any potential wet weather this winter, and beyond, which could impact residents. She urged local people to check their flood risk online, sign up for free flood warnings and know what to do if flooding is forecast in their area this winter.

Ms Mayer said: “As the recent awful flooding in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency shows, local communities are already being impacted by more frequent and extreme weather.

“That is why it is so important to strengthen the resilience of local areas and adapt to the demands of a changing climate and so create climate-resilient communities.

“That means things like tree planting, retrofitting more homes and building back differently. There is plenty of work we need to be getting on with to brace for further storms ahead, and to keep communities thriving.”

Flood Action Week takes place from Monday 14 October to Sunday 20 October.