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Flood warning scheme
02/03/2010
A new £1 million scheme to protect vulnerable communities from the threat of flooding in high-risk areas of the North East of Scotland has been officially launched by Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead.
Around 2000 homes and businesses will benefit from the Scottish Government-funded flood warning scheme around the rivers Dee, Don, Deveron and North Esk. 
Over the past decade there have been around 90 significant floods across Scotland and climate change predictions show that Scotland will experience major changes in rainfall patterns.
Full-scale live testing of SEPA's North East Flood Warning System began on Friday, February 26, 2009 - four days earlier than planned due to the adverse weather conditions affecting parts of the north east last week.
The system uses state-of-the-art technology to measure rainfall and river levels and issue early flood warnings.
Launching the scheme at a SEPA river monitoring station in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Richard Lochhead said:
"Flooding wreaks havoc and distress whenever it strikes and we must do everything we can to protect ourselves from its devastating impact. The past year has seen some of the most severe floods in the North East of Scotland in recent decades, destroying livelihoods and homes.
"That is why the Scottish Government has invested £1 million into this ground-breaking warning scheme to significantly improve flooding information in these high-risk areas. This will allow SEPA to issue early warnings and give members of the public vital time to prepare and protect themselves and their properties against flooding and limit the damage it can cause.
"Through the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act and record levels of investment in flood defences, this Government is taking every possible step to improve our understanding of flooding risk, our capacity to manage this and our ability to respond effectively. There are now 84 flood prevention schemes in Scotland, with a further seven under construction and four more in the pipeline."
Richard Brown, SEPA's Head of Hydrology, said:
"The aim of the flood warning schemes is to prevent loss of life and reduce the economic damage caused by floods. This is achieved through the ability to forecast likely flood conditions and provide interpretation and warnings to those at risk.
"SEPA is further developing its current flood warning provision, and in Spring 2011 we will be launching a new Floodline Warnings Direct service, which will allow members of the public to register to receive direct warnings to their landline or mobile phone."
Rainfall and river level monitoring across the catchment areas will provide SEPA with improved information on conditions, which will then be used to provide advance warning of flooding to members of the public who can access the information via SEPA's 24 hour Floodline information service. This will allow local people crucial extra time to take action to protect themselves and their property.
The early warning system will also be used to alert the police and local authorities to any potential flood threat so they can respond if necessary. The areas that will benefit from the new scheme include several urban centres such as Aberdeen, Inverurie and Huntly, rural settlements, large areas of agricultural land and significant transport links.
SEPA currently operates over 40 flood warning schemes across Scotland. Once a warning is issued, SEPA alerts local authorities and emergency services, giving them advance warning to take action.
Floodline is available by telephone - 0845 988 1188 - and online at www.sepa.org.uk/flooding