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UK Urged to Prepare for Floods After Unusually Wet September

WELNEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: Walkers stand next to floodwaters submerging the A1101 in Norfolk on October 08, 2024 in Welney, England. Drivers faced a 22 mile detour after the Old Bedford River and the River Delph burst their banks after recent heavy rain. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (Dan Kitwood/Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty )

(Bloomberg) -- The UK government has urged people to ensure they are prepared for flooding this winter after an unusually wet September.

The warning marks ‘Flood Action Week’ which starts Monday and coincides with the anniversary of last year’s Storm Babet, which caused damage across the country.

Britain suffered its wettest 18 months on record through February. Heavy downpours in the UK and Ireland last fall and winter were about 20% worse because of climate change, a report showed earlier this year. Intense rainfall was also more frequent, making it crucial for homes and businesses to put in place adaptation measures.

Already some parts of the country have experienced flooding this autumn.

“Only last month, heavy rainfall led to the first major incident of the season with almost a thousand properties flooded,” The Environment Agency said in a statement. “It followed the wettest 18 months on record in England up to February 2024.” 

While the effects of the La Niña weather phenomenon are likely to develop over the coming weeks and expected to bring colder and drier weather to the UK, even a “normal” winter could lead to flooding in some areas, Will Lang, head of situational awareness at the Met Office, said in a recent briefing.

“Climate change means extreme weather events are happening more frequently,” according to Caroline Douglass, the Environment Agency’s executive director of flood and coastal risk management. “That is why it is essential we all do our part by checking our flood risk.”

(Updates with details)

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