That would not help people in older properties that get
flooded,
but at least it would place the blame squarely where it
belongs
as far as new building is concerned. It would also be a
powerful
disincentive to future building on flood-prone land.

You are assuming that the houses that have been flooded
recently were built on a flood plain.

No. Read what I said in the above paragraph: "That would not
help people in older properties that get flooded". You can
substitute 'th' for 'ld' if it makes it clearer.

Anne