A new flood warning service for coastal communities along the Moray Firth is to be explained by staff from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) at a public event in Lossiemouth next week.
The launch of the new Moray Firth Flood Warning Service will take place two days earlier in Inverness – but people in Moray will have a chance to learn first-hand the nature of the new service.
Coastal flooding has been an issue that has affected several communities along the Moray coastline – most notably during the tidal surge that hit the region in 2012, causing widespread damage including a major breach in the sea wall at Lossiemouth.
Now Sepa are set to launch the new warning system using a model they recently launched for Loch Linnhe that proved particularly valuable during further storms over the Christmas and New Year period.
Using the model Sepa will be able to predict wave and surge heights in advance of weather systems, providing information to emergency services that would allow early remedial action.
Moray’s MSP Richard Lochhead welcomed the decision to hold the public information even in Lossiemouth, saying: “Coastal flooding is a problem for several communities around Moray’s Coast as well as the wider Moray Firth area.
“The continuous development and improvement of flood warning systems is hugely important to help mitigate against the impacts of flooding.
“Residents and businesses can be affected by flooding in various ways – from rivers and watercourses, to surface water flooding and coastal flooding.
“The effects are no less devastating for flood victims regardless of where the water comes from but for organisations such as Sepa and Local Authorities the different types of flooding require different approaches, including with flood warning systems.
“I would encourage anyone affected by or concerned about coastal flooding to go along to the drop-in event in Lossiemouth.
“Ensuring people are informed is absolutely critical when it comes to flooding as there are actions people can take to help protect both themselves and their property if they get the information early enough when flooding is likely.”
The public event will be held in the Lossiemouth Town Hall on Wednesday, October 8 from 2.30pm until 7pm.