Ark - National Flood Resilence Centre

Flooding devastates communities

In the UK alone, 5.2m homes and businesses are at risk of flooding.* And the OECD estimates that around 20% of the world’s population will be at risk of flooding by 2050 as our climate changes.

We can’t always prevent floods occurring but we can be better prepared.

*Environment Agency

The University of Hull and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service have come together to take action

The National Flood Resilience Centre is a world-leading centre of excellence, which will advance the position of the UK and the Humber as international leaders in flood and flood-resilience research.

As the risk of flooding increases, state-of-the-art facilities will enable our researchers to improve the understanding of floods and find better ways to predict, prepare for and manage the impact of flooding on individuals, communities and the economy.

The National Flood Resilience Centre is the first facility of its kind anywhere in the world. It provides realistic environments that will enable businesses, specialists and communities to build resilience through collaborative training and research.

Including a full sized street scene and other settings, we will create specific, real-life flood scenarios where emergency responders will train and practise safely together.

We know from experience just how essential it is to provide an effective emergency flood response. The new Centre will give Fire and Rescue Services and all the other responding agencies, a facility where we can prepare in a much more realistic way, and access to a wealth of research and innovation power.

Steve Topham Director of Service Support, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service

The realistic flood environment at the National Flood Resilience Centre will lead to a step-change in our flood resilience capabilities and establish the Centre as the go-to place for research, innovation, teaching and training. It will provide another way for the University to apply its expertise in service of the local community and the UK as a whole.

Dr Stuart McLelland Co-Director, Energy and Environment Institute

The National Flood Resilience Centre will make a big difference to communities right across the UK as floods become more frequent in a changing climate. By raising awareness and helping at-risk residents and businesses to be better prepared, we will help people to be more resilient and the economy to recover more quickly when floods strike.

Dr Giles Davidson Project Lead, Ark