Murphy Surveys Flood and Structural Scour Monitoring Rapid Response Team

Murphy Surveys Rapid Response Survey Team


Objective:

The creation of a Rapid Response Survey Team will allow our clients to have access to an experienced survey team who attend flood sites at short notice and will gather vital survey data from a “live” flood site.

This survey data will allow the evaluation of any / all preventative measures which will minimize/eliminate future flooding or flood related destruction.

Additionally, the collation of this information will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the local flood dynamics.

Accessibility:

The Murphy Surveys Rapid Response Survey Team will arrive on site within a pre-arranged timeframe, for example no more than 3.5 hours from when the Murphy Surveys Rapid Response Survey Team is notified of being required.

This is made possible owing to the following factors

• Murphy Surveys have office locations nationwide with immediate access to arterial routes which allows for immediate dispatch of the relevant personnel and equipment.
• Each Murphy Surveys office has a large inventory of company owned specialist survey equipment & survey software.
• Murphy Surveys have in excess of 60 full time experienced staff of which approximately 50 are specialist surveyors and 10 are support and administration staff.
• Our hydrographic survey team has in excess of 20 years experience working in Ireland and overseas and therefore has extensive working knowledge of most floodplains and areas of risk in Ireland. This dramatically reduces reconnaissance time on site.
• The Murphy Surveys Rapid Response Survey Team will also benefit from an experienced office based liaison officer to co ordinate field survey and redirect staff and equipment as necessary










Requirement for a Rapid Response Survey Team

Over the last number of years flooding has had a major impact on our lives, businesses and infrastructure, this disruption is projected to continue for the foreseeable future. The costly impact affects all sectors of our economy and both private individuals, businesses, local councils and the government is bearing the brunt in many different ways:

1. Insurance premiums are increasing enormously and in some cases insurance is no longer available to those in high risk areas. This leaves property and business owners extremely vulnerable.
2. Flooding has resulted in claims amounting to between €50-100 million per flood incident. The Irish Insurance Federation said storms in August cost the industry about €100m alone.
3. The clean-up operation in the aftermath are considerable a burden to local businesses, councils and corporations
4. Water supplies are suffering from contamination, which leads to more complex and costly situations.
5. Loss or interruption to services, utilities and infrastructure such as sewerage, gas, electricity, road and rail can have a costly effect on the economy
6. Home and business owners are suffering from increased stress related health problems
7. Pressure is being put on local authorities to fund emergency services used during the floods and re location costs for those evacuated from their homes, while the clean up and repair work is carried out.

On average the Ireland sees an annual rainfall of between 800mm and 1250 mm of rain per year or 80mm per month, whilst average hourly rates are in the order of 1-2mm.
It is not uncommon to receive 10mm per hour (we can expect to receive 15-20mm per hour once in five years). The average number of wet days (days with more than 1mm of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along the east and south-east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the East.

















Flooding occurs due to a range of factors – both natural and man made

• More intense and frequent rainfall events
• Environmental conditions such as high tides, storm surges and low pressure systems
• High river levels – directly affected by rainfall.
• Saturated grounds / ground of poor permeability the high water table is no longer able to absorb rainfall.
• Limited capacity of drainage systems which have become overloaded
• Blocked /restricted waterways and drainage channels
• Unmaintained drainage channels



More recently we have become acutely aware of “urban flooding” – this is flooding that is not limited to historic floodplains. This urban flooding is more frequent and of a greater intensity owing to a number of factors which includes:


• Climate change
• A greater demand for land for residential requirements
• Inadequate storm water sewers which have become overloaded
• Larger areas of land under hard surfaces such as shopping centers, roads, general urban conurbations.
• Localised solutions are being sought to tackle the problem rather than addressing the river basin as a whole.
• Improvements to drainage systems in some locations has lead to a more rapid runoff rate over a shorter period which adds additional overload to the system



Owing to the increased population in these areas, the impact of urban flooding is magnified; small areas of flooding are affecting larger numbers of people and properties. Solutions in urban areas have become more disruptive, costly and more difficult to manage as there are several governing bodies with a vested interest or control over any one flooded area. As a result of the pressure and demand on space and location, developments on floodplains removes the storage capacity for flooding and results in faster runoff which leads to flooding of properties.

For more information, please contact our Rapid Reponse Team on:

Ireland: Tel +353 (0)45 484040
UK: Tel + 44 (0)20 8301 8651