PLR - adoption, effectiveness & good practice

Presentation by

JessicaLamond

Associate Professor, Centre for Floods Communities and Resilience, UWE, Bristol

Challenges, Changes and Opportunities in Property CarePCA Annual Conference - 4th May 2017

‘The Slate’ Conference Centre, Warwick University, Coventry CV4 7SH

Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience

AIM: Identify barriers and propose solutions to promote low cost flood approaches that would make properties at flood risk more resilient to damage from flood waters.

Our partners: Defra, Mary Dhonau Associates, Cunningham Lindsey, Collingwood Environmental Planning, Birmingham City University, Tewkesbury Learning and Action Alliance

Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA)“How can low cost adaptation approaches be used

in existing residential and small business properties to limit the damage from flood water?”

• a critical assessment of existing international academic and grey literature;

• telephone interviews with 18 ‘expert’ respondents.

• Face to face conversations with 13 households and small businesses that had undertaken repairable adaptations.

Create Steering group

Define the question Form a review team

Refine the question Agree Protocol Search for Evidence

Screen the Search results

Extract the Evidence

Critically appraise evidence

Involving outside experts

Synthesise the Evidence

Communicate the findings

Finalise -recommendations

Strategies and approaches• Keep water away (remove contents or raise above

likely water levels, control flow)

• Keep water out of materials (resistant materials, waterproof coatings or containers)

• Allow water in (resilient materials, not damaged by floodwater, quick drying)

• Fast recovery (speed drying, air gaps, dry lining, disposable, cheap and cheerful)

Barriers to uptake of measures Resource

Barriers Information barriers

Emotional barriers

Timing barriers

Desire Awareness No Yes Yes No

Perception Yes Yes Yes Yes

Ownership No Yes Yes Yes

Ability Knowledge Yes Yes No Yes

Finance Yes No No Yes

Belief No Yes Yes Yes

(Lamond and Proverbs, 2009)

Links between UK technical guidesBS85500 (2015), Defra Best Practice/cost effectiveness in PLP (2014), BSI12999

(2015)

PHE 2014

Escarameia(2006)

Ciria2005

Ciria 2003 factsheets

BRE 1996

FEMA 1993 etc

DCLG (2007)

Wingfield et al 2005

BRE 1996

ODPM 2003/DTLR 2002

Sottish executive PAN69

FEMA 2005 etc

FEMA 1993

ABI 2003

ABI 2010

ABI 2006

ABI 2003

Broadbent 2004

Proverbs and Soetanto

2004ABI/NFF2006

ABI 2003

Plasterboards/wallboards• 1. Moisture resistant

– Includes: Knauf-Moisture-Panel; Knauf Aquapanel tile backing board; Gyproc Moisture Resistant Board; GTEC Siniat Moisturecheck Board

• 2. Water resistant

– Includes: Glasroc H TILEBACKER; Glasroc F MULTIBOARD; Gyprock Aquachek (Australian equiv) (glass fibre reinforced – formerly listed as strengthened), cement fibre board efg fermacell

• 3. Waterproof

– Includes: Marmox-waterproof-insulation-board; Marmox-sound-reduction-board; WediTilebacker

– Wedi Tilebacker: ‘even when completely immersed for a month, Tilebacker takes up only half a per cent of water’.

– Plastic and rubber based and magnesium oxide includes Dragonboard

Homeowner views : deciding to adapt

I couldn’t go through (flood damage) again this is a small business not just a home.

I decided to make my house more resilient….to reduce the trauma……it will be money well spent Peace of mind – and

needing a solution which would allow occupant and pets to live upstairs in any future floods ...

...throwing good carpets –only a year old – onto the street really didn’t feel good… made us think it would be better to do things differently

... a way of taking control ... sandbags

are worse than useless!”

Sheer exasperation, and not wanting to go through another flood

Homeowner views : choosing adaptations

we understood why

the kitchen floor had been covered in bitumen and lino…as tanking.. it was pointless.

Well I am an architect so I understand how to do it...there was no way to keep water out

tiler appointed by ins co started off using wrong adhesive, not suitable for use with porcelain

…just about impossible to get advice…charging huge amounts just for a

survey..came up with

things ourselves.

That was the year I learned how to deal with the insurance company..

We did our own research (on pumps) bought stuff for ourselves and then demonstrated it to all the neighbours

Homeowner views - performance

Now easy to sweep and mop out…get drying under way in a couple of days

Being flooded is (now) a …. nuisance but it is not a disaster

... Easy to mop out, and not rot. Well

worth (the cost) for the heartache it saves

Last time it flooded we just washed everything down and moved back

in.

You can’t keep the water out but you CAN manage the water when it comes in so it doesn’t cause damage

.. I had 4.5ft of water in my basement. I power hosed and

pumped out Resilience measures definitely aided recovery

Interviews with practitioners• Not possible to identify a single approach

• Expert advice important for some measures

• The importance of the recovery process to facilitate bespoke advice for households from building professionals was confirmed.

• Concerns about lack of agency

• Barriers due to homeowner awareness or willingness to adapt

• Practical limitations of offering advice within standard insurance processes

• Performance implied by lack of poor reports

• Would like more guidance and examples to improve uptake and effectiveness

Factors influencing effective uptake • Measures not only need to

be appropriate to the:

– building

– flood type and depth

• But also to:

– householder needs / preferences

Ways of overcoming barriers• Huge emphasis on the reinstatement process

and the role of loss adjustors/surveyors

• Creative new solutions often householder led

• More training/resources to develop awareness for surveyors and loss adjustors

• Repair and Renew grant scheme – a catalyst for development of expertise

• Make the measures more attractive (kitchens and electrics not liked by householders)

• Sell it as home improvement – emphasise any side benefits

• Need examples to show that it works

New or highlighted materials and measures• Nano-technology

• Membranes

• Kitchen and bathroom strategies

• Resilience of timber

• Cleaning materials

• Internal barriers

Kitchen Design

What does effective resilience look like?

• It looks different for everyone

• It evolves over time

• It needs support and guidance but not prescriptions

• Experiential, peer to peer, and peer to “expert” learning is an important feature

• You probably cant “see” it

Summary

• No universally “optimal” package of measures

• Wide range of suitable approaches and measures

• Most not tested scientifically but with testimonial/ deductive evidence

• Care must be taken to ensure breathability

• Many of the measures need expert assessment but others could be applied almost universally.

• Households will need support and encouragement

• Practitioners need more support and guidance

References

• LAMOND, J., ROSE, C., JOSEPH , R. & PROVERBS, D. 2016 Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience: summary of technical findings (FD2682). London: Defra.

• LAMOND, J., ROSE, C. & PROVERBS, D. 2016. Supporting the uptake of low cost resilience: Rapid Evidence Assessment Final Report (FD2682). London: Defra.

• JOSEPH, R. 2014. Development of a comprehensive systematic quantification of the costs and benefits (CB) of property level flood risk adaptation measures in England. PhD, University of the West of England.