The ‘intangible’ social impacts of flooding should be included in cost-benefit analyses for flood-alleviation schemes, according to the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).

The authors of a CIWEM paper – After the flood: The health and social consequences of the 2005 Carlisle flood event – conducted interviews with 16 residents out of around 6,000 from 3,500 homes affected by the Carlisle floods.

They revealed that impacts of flooding can range from immediate death, injury and harm from contaminated water, through to lasting psychological consequences caused by damaged homes, loss of personal possessions and financial worries.

Citing extensive research, the authors concluded that ‘intangible impacts – relating to non-material and/or emotional losses – registered markedly higher values than tangible impacts relating to material losses’, for those affected.

The lasting emotional trauma suffered by victims has been identified as an ‘important public health issue’, with long-term affects, including ‘ongoing anxiety and feelings of vulnerability.’

Residents interviewed want practical training from professionals to counsel each other in future floods, ongoing post-flood information through support centres, as well as an emergency, regulatory body established to oversee renovation periods.

While the authors accept their findings do not ‘translate neatly into recommendations for operational change’, they suggest ‘establishing a highly-visible, accessible and ongoing post-flood information and support centre’.