The Environment Agency has provided further details on its response to flooding in Ryde during what has been described as the largest rainfall event in at least 75 years*, with 50.9mm rainfall recorded in just 3 hours and 83.3mm in a wider 18-hour period. Over 100 properties were flooded on the morning of 25th October when the Monktonmead Brook burst its banks and surface water built up, flooding nearby Simeon Street Recreation Ground and surrounding roads. The railway tunnel at Ryde was full of water which was at times lapping over onto the Esplanade. The response to the incident by the Environment Agency has come under scrutiny with questions asked over why only 2 of the possible 6 flood defence boards were inserted at Simeon Recreation Ground. In 2019, the Environment Agency completed the construction of a £5million upgrade to the existing flood alleviation scheme with the construction of a new outfall into the harbour and a flood wall around Simeon Street Rec. This area is a designated flood storage area surrounded by a 1.3m high wall with 3 access points that can be blocked off with 5 or 6 flood drop boards. 
It’s said that the Environment Agency’s contractors were not deployed until 04:41 but it is known that the flood warning was issued over an hour earlier at 03:29. The 2 flood boards were inserted by 05:45 meaning it was over 2 hours between the flood warning being issued and the boards being partially installed. The decision to deploy contractors was only made at 04:41 when a level of 2.5m was recorded at the debris screen to the north side of Simeon Street Rec. An interim report has been published in which the Environment Agency says the decision to only insert 2 flood boards was made by an unnamed duty officer so it didn’t prevent surface water from flowing into the Recreation Ground if that became the overriding source of flood risk as the event developed. It has been confirmed that contractors were soon tasked to undertake clearance of the debris screen at Hunnyhill in Newport, to then return to Ryde to install the remaining drop boards. Due to the main Newport to Ryde road becoming impassable, the contractors didn’t get back to Ryde until 08:30, by which time the box containing the boards was completely underwater and therefore couldn’t be installed. 
The Environment Agency says that it was working to predictions of 26mm of rainfall between midnight and 06:00 on the 25th, when in fact the actual figure was 61.8mm. This meant that just 1 standby gang was available, rather than the 2 or 3 that would be available during predicted events. According to official data, between midnight and 10:00 on Wednesday 25th some 72.1mm of rain was recorded with 50.9mm falling between midnight and 03:00. This is the equivalent of 2/3 of the month’s rainfall in just 3 hours. Some 83.3mm of rain was recorded in just 18 hours. The month of October saw 258.3mm of rainfall – some 21.8mm more than the year of The Great Storm in 1987. Famously the hurricane of ’87 was not forecast but it turned out to be the storm of a lifetime. But now, 36 years later, the flooding of 25th October has shown that agencies can still be caught out despite the advances in modern technology. 
It has been admitted that due to the size and timing of the ‘unprecedented’ rainfall event, EA duty officers did not anticipate the significant disruption to transport links, the speed in which the rivers were rising or the subsequent quantities of water that were flowing down this catchment. In their report, the Environment Agency says:
“Although the flood levels in Simeon Recreation Ground exceeded the top level of the two boards that were installed; given that properties have flooded from surface water during much smaller rainfall events historically, it is unclear whether the overall numbers of property flooding was made worse by not installing all of the flood drop boards, and if so by how much”.
A more detailed review will, in due course, look into the full picture and whether the fully activated Ryde Flood Alleviation Scheme would have been overwhelmed. The Isle of Wight Council is to coordinate a Section 19 review into the flooding, exploring the actions of not only the Environment Agency but also Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, Island Roads and the local authority itself. It has been confirmed that the pumps at Cornwall Slip were operational between 03:00 on 25th and 00:45 on 26th. *A gauge has been present at Ryde since 1949
This SHOULD be the END for Penny Feather developments, but we all know it won’t be.
When the water runs off from that site into Monkton Mead, NO amount of storage tanks will prevent massive flood damage to Ryde.
Developers should be able to be sued by insurance companies if knowingly adding buildings to areas already prone to flooding unless they can provide their own drainage away from any such areas.
But as we know certain ‘developers’ have a symbiotic relationship with our trustworthy Council, and shake hands in odd ways keeps such tickled PINK so, if their involved it will all go ahead regardless of ruining others lives.
There are no brains on the island, so my guess is the idiots
will still want to build homes on an island that cannot cope when it
Rains.
Looking at amount of water, even if all boards were in place they would of been breached and flooding still occurred 15/30mins later. You can’t get a bath to hold more when you leave tap’s running . Flooding hit whole Island was unprecedented and couldn’t of been prepared for. Whole country suffered as well from West to East. What was not acceptable was lack of response from IOW Council and Fire Service ( both of which were involved in a training exercise not many weeks before on how to deal with serious event) who did absolutely nothing in comparison to mainland Authorities.
I remember when fire in Cowes, they opened up Northwood House within an hour to receive all those evacuated, provided food, doctor blanket’s and reassurance etc.
So if the EA don’t predict it, they don’t do what they’re supposed to. Absolute joke.
Utter incompetence !! £5M for a defence that is operated by morons .. sorry to all the people affected by this incompetent agency .
They make Michael Fish look like a saint
The also design Chocolate Fireguards
We all knew what was heading our way, a yellow warning was predicted.
Plenty of time to get all the flood boards in place. Too slow, with no sense of urgency, just about sums the situation up! Let’s hope lessons have been learnt and it doesn’t happen again EA.
They were all watching Eastenders and couldn’t be disturbed.
What’s historic about it? this is not the first time that area has flooded.
Rainfall was
NOT a factor DURING the great storm of ’87. It was continual rain before the event, that meant that the ground was soaked right down to & below the tree’s roots. Thus the roots had no grip.
What a silly comment. The rainfall before the storm was rainfall, so rainfall was a factor.
How was this not accounted for in the prep and lead up to spending £5million on a flood defence system!?!? Surely it was tested for its efficiency to do the job properly? If there was any doubt it would be worth anyone putting the flippin boards in and actually making a bit of an effort to even try, we shouldn’t have spent all that money on it!! You can’t say the lack of response to do so is vilified to get the idiot off who didn’t do their job!
The poor people now suffering and have massive insurance premiums don’t want to hear excuses, this just makes things worse! You effectively lied and robbed us of our money to build something that was a total waste of time
I’ve always been under the impression that the ” planning Authorities ” are tasked with deiding whether a development is appropriate in ” all respects “. Seems to me the failures here start with them and then move on to an inadequate management of the envirnoment by those who are tasked to do that.
My small flat in The Strand has been flooded along with over 100 properties.
IoW Council appears to be allowing flooded homes some months free of Council Tax to help folk financially and a grant of “up to £500” to help with immediate costs as a result of the flood.
My little flat was my bolt-hole on the island, an island I have loved for over 50 years, coming over as often as time and responsibilities allowed. I’ve been told that I am not eligible for this assistance as the flat is not my primary home, this in spite of me paying full Council Tax, supporting island businesses, taking part in island events and helping the island
economy, an island I’ve loved for over 55 years and love being here. Surely this lack of aid can’t be fair?
The EA employee should have all the boards installed by the contractor, not just two, who was it going to inconvenience putting them all in at the same time ?, what is the point in having flood defence system, if it is not properly deployed?
Thats like making a fire guard out of chocolate, then wondering why it’s inadequate.
i think the EA & the unnamed employee should hang there head in shame, I bet if they lived in that effected area, there response would have been different !