COMMUNITIES facing the devastation that flooding brings can now plan how to protect themselves — and see what disasters may await them — with a computer program that simulates the consequences of global warming.

FloodRanger is based on the most advanced environmental data. Using it, local authorities can test their strategic skills to see whether they can “build” flood defences without bankrupting their communities.

The government initiative follows a recent study that predicted that floods on a scale previously seen only once a century could strike England and Wales every three years by 2080.

In the worst-case scenario, global warming is expected to leave London, the Solent, north Norfolk and other coastal areas 30 times more vulnerable. The danger of flooding from swollen rivers, caused by more intense and frequent storms, is predicted to rise by between four and six times, while the number of people whose homes are at high risk will more than double, to 3.5 million.

Launching FloodRanger yesterday, Sir David King, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, said the simulation game could provide a vital insight for planners, improve budgets and protect against future destruction.

Annual economic costs of flooding are expected to rise from £1 billion to £25 billion in less than a century, he said. “Flooding can have a devastating effect on people’s homes and businesses. FloodRanger is intended to raise awareness of flood and coastal defence issues . . . It is an innovative new tool to be used as a learning process for anyone involved with flood management.

“Would you rather put a wet finger in the air or trial your plans on a program built on the best science? The answer is obvious.”

The “flood-game”, which is part-funded by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Foresight project, puts players in charge of protecting a virtual terrain over 100 years while maintaining housing and employment levels for an expanding population. Players are given budgets to manage housing and employment decade by decade and must decide how much money to allocate for flood and coastal defences.The software will also be aimed at insurers, universities and schools, which can use it to educate students on climate change and the measures available to tackle its effects.

The game draws on climate change forecasts provided by the Met Office’s climate modelling unit. Points are awarded according to the health of the environment, public opinion, insurance premiums, water demand and the size of the areas still at risk of flooding. The Environment Agency welcomed the software, which it said would play a part in future flood- management work.

“FloodRanger brings home to a wider audience the implications of making long-term decisions on flood risk- management given the uncertainties that climate change will bring,” a spokesman said.

Chris Walker, from East Sussex County Council, said the project would not only help the local authority, which has suffered from major flooding in recent years, but also improve understanding of the phenomenon in the community.

“Not only will FloodRanger help those engaged on infrastructure planning and environmental management to understand the complex implications of future climate change . . . but it could also provide a useful learning facility in education,” he said.

The FloodRanger program, which will cost £50, was developed by the British firms Discovery Software and View the World, backed by a £25,000 grant from the Foresight programme.

More than 40 copies have been sold to the United States Environmental Protection Agency; the Thames Barrier has inquired after its own custom-made version. After the barrier was opened in 1982 it was closed three times in its first five years. It now closes 15 times a year.

The Foresight programme is charged with developing a long-term framework for tackling flooding and is due to report on its latest consultation exercise in April.

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