PM encourages use of Rapide SMS alerts to residents of flood risk areas

The Prime Minister David Cameron made a personal promise to support the people of flood-hit Cornwall after touring the streets of Mevagissey and Pentewan last year when many properties were still under several feet of dirty flood water.

The Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman praised the "fantastic community spirit" in Lostwithiel and Mevagissey after spending several hours on a fact-finding mission to explore the Government's response to the storms and assess what role it could play in preventing further disasters.


After holding talks with Ms Spelman, Mr Cameron conceded that:

"You can never guarantee there won't be flooding because we do have these huge weather events that overwhelm people.”

"But we can do better and I will definitely take a look at that situation."


In Pentewan the Prime Minister was invited to a community meeting held in a local pub, where some residents told Mr Cameron that they should have been given advanced warning to prepare for rain.

Though some locals had signed up to receive weather warnings sent out by the Environment Agency and were alerted by text message hours before the torrential rain swept through the village, others weren’t so fortunate.


Mr Cameron commented:

"I want us to look at how we use text alerts and other ways to get people the information they need about floods. We do some of that already but I am convinced we can do more. We need to trust people with the information and trust them enough to give them that information quickly."


Rapide have been helping the Environment Agency alert the public to severe weather warnings and flood updates for several years. The EA advertise their service as ‘Floodline’ and invite the public to register for free to be notified about severe weather warnings and flood updates. Those who register to receive the service include local authorities, police, utility companies, businesses and concerned home owners.

The Prime Minister’s comments are in line with the Environment Agency’s vision that the Floodline service should act as the public’s first line of defence against severe weather. The text message solution is so effective because of its simplicity, directness and most importantly speed. It gives residents advanced warning of inclement weather and allows them to make important preparations before the severe weather hits.


Registering to receive text message alerts from Floodline is simple just call 0845 988 1188


For more information about Rapide’s work with the Environment Agency click here