The Gloucestershire water emergency 2007
Although now overtaken in extent by the Coronavirus emergency 2020, the Gloucestershire Floods, and their consequences, of July-August 2007 were one of the most significant peacetime civil emergencies witnessed in this country since the General Strike of 1926. Generally known as ‘the Gloucestershire...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Routledge international handbook of policing crises and emergencies
Year: 2025, Pages: 24-42 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | Although now overtaken in extent by the Coronavirus emergency 2020, the Gloucestershire Floods, and their consequences, of July-August 2007 were one of the most significant peacetime civil emergencies witnessed in this country since the General Strike of 1926. Generally known as ‘the Gloucestershire Floods’, more technically it was an extended ‘Water Emergency’, as the flooding of 20 July was a catalyst for two other emergencies - a threat to massive regional electricity disruption and failure of drinking water supplies for over 350,000 people for almost a fortnight. Others may have had greater impact in terms of loss of life (e.g. Coronavirus 2020, the Abercarn mining disaster 1878) and damage (general flooding 1947), but that of Gloucestershire in 2007 arguably had greater impact because of the extensive media coverage (a consequence of the recent advent of 24-hour rolling television news in the UK) and the complex and extended nature of the events and their response. The police-led response to the emergencies was necessarily complex and sophisticated. It required, in staggered stages, response, rescue, relief, and rehabilitation across the county of Gloucestershire, but especially around its centrally populated core of Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Stroud. It brought forth the management of a massive relief effort to deliver drinking water to the county’s population, an extraordinary emergency civil engineering project to create a barrier around the substation in 24 hours. The emergency incident stretched for two weeks, until drinking water was fully restored. This required an extensive police-led multi-agency response, which eventually involved 25 agencies. An innovative feature of the police response was to extend the ‘Gold-Silver-Bronze’ command structure to include a higher ‘Platinum’ tier. The chief constable called for Military Aid to the Civil Power at an early stage in the operation. COBR was engaged from almost the outset, with the prime minister visiting the county on two occasions. Extensive support was received from local volunteers in the relief effort of delivering bottled water to neighbourhoods. A crucial and distinguishing aspect of the Emergency and relief operation was the early recognition that public confidence had to be maintained, and this required consciously proactive media management. Although the immediate relief operation was stood down after two weeks, the consequences of the event were still being felt over a year later, with some families waiting to be allowed to return to their flood-damaged homes. The Emergency was characterised by a high level of community cohesion. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 41-42 |
| Physical Description: | Illustrationen |
| ISBN: | 9781032207872 |
