Surface water flooding affects 3mil in the UK compared to river and sea flood risk, which affects 2.4mil. It is an issue that once again came into the spotlight following Storm Christoph, and which was uniquely forecasted by Previsico, utilising the latest geospatial technology and weather predictions, in partnership with IBM. Following more than 150 flood alerts and a further 30 flood warnings, communities had the opportunity to implement river defences and mitigate the imminent risk of serious flooding from rising river levels. This meant that over 27,500 properties were successfully protected from flooding because of temporary flood defences and the closure of flood barriers.
Dr Avi Baruch, COO at Previsico, said: “With Storm Christoph bringing such heavy rainfall in such a short timeframe it was no surprise that there were so many instances of flooding. What was not widely reported, however, was the sheer scale of the surface water flooding, with many cars becoming stranded, drains backing up, and properties being affected across the UK. “Importantly, during the storm, Previsico’sinsurance partners and their corporate customers had access to our world-leading visualization platform, where they could, uniquely, view the surface water forecasts before the event unfolded, as did the UK Cabinet Office and the Emergency Services,” Dr Baruch added.
Previsico’s live flood forecasting solution provided insurers with the capability to alert customers of imminent flooding, down to an individual property level (25m). This capability enables people to move valuables to higher ground and set up temporary defenses ahead of a flood – a win-win for insurers and their customers. The visualisation platform identifies which areas are forecast to be worst hit by flooding, so that insurance claims teams and emergency services can better understand how to reach the most affected properties and
people. For insurers, this not only leadsto a better service and happier customers, but it also enables an earlier indication of total losses, reducesfraud, and improves claims efficiency
