BS 85600:2017

This standard BS 85600:2017 Post-event flood assessments. Guidance on investigating flooding incidents is classified in these ICS categories:

• 13.200 Accident and disaster control

This British Standard gives guidance and recommendations for investigating flood events and carrying out a post-event flood assessment to ensure that consistent, good quality data can be collected repeatedly for a variety of potential uses. Specifically, it gives guidance and recommendations for:

• investigating flooding incidents according to the type and severity of flooding;

• thresholds for different levels of investigations based on the communities, businesses and infrastructures affected (e.g. domestic and commercial buildings, utilities, road and rail networks);

• the most useful information to collect;

• the organizations to contact to supply or corroborate the information; and

• the preparation of a report containing information collected and initial recommendations for risk management authorities.

NOTE In England and Wales, Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 [1] requires Lead Local Flood Authorities to investigate and publish reports on significant flood incidents. The recommendations of this British Standard go beyond the legal requirements of Section 19, but provide a useful basis for informing such reports. No legal requirement for post-flood surveys exists in Scotland or Northern Ireland (NI). In Scotland, such reporting is carried out on an ad hoc basis only, with an annual report to Parliament on flood incidents and affected communities, produced by Scottish Government officials. In Northern Ireland, post flood investigations are carried out as a matter of course where there is flooding from a watercourse only. In both countries good practice is followed for the surveys, although it is recognized that some form of technical standardization would be of benefit.

This British Standard is applicable to investigation of natural sources of flooding, rather than failure of structures or other assets.

This British Standard does not give guidance on resolving flooding or what measures to take to prevent flooding from occurring in the future (see Figure 1).

This British Standard is intended to be used by flood risk management authorities and consultants engaged to undertake post-flood investigations.

Figure 1 Scope of BS 85600