BEVERLEY, England, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Britain must take urgent steps to upgrade emergency planning and drainage networks to avert a repeat of catastrophic summer flooding damages, a new report says.
Last summer's floods damaged 48,000 homes and 7,000 businesses in Beverley, England, Sky News said. The South West Strategic Health Authority issued its recommendations to help thwart similar damage in the future. It also urged authorities to allow only flood-resistant structures to be constructed in high-risk areas, and suggested that homeowners acquire good insurance, sign up for Environment Agency flood warnings and create an at-home emergency kit.
"Flood risk and events of this sort are here to stay," the authority's chairman, Michael Pitt, said.
