David Hannah, Professor of Hydrology in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES), and Stephen Brammer, Professor of Strategy at Birmingham Business School (BBS), visited the House of Commons on Tuesday 1 December to speak at an Industry and Parliament Trust Dinner and to record a podcast on the subject of flooding and the project “The Summer After the Floods: a real-time examination of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of flood recovery and resilience”. The project investigators also include Steven Emery, Megan Klaar (GEES) and Layla Branicki (BBS).
During this podcast David and Stephen discuss the major causes of flooding, the project’s key findings and the government’s role in promoting resilience for the future.
The research
During the winter 2013-14 floods in Britain, it seemed to never stop raining. Many rivers and groundwater tables reached record levels, entire villages were cut off and even abandoned, and the military were called in to help. By examining the effects of this disaster, this collaborative interdisciplinary research project seeks to identify the floods’ causes and their impact on business and community life, and to generate key policy recommendations that can be applied in the UK with learning that can extend worldwide.