A FLOOD expert from Worcester is heading a task force of leading UK firefighters on a trip to America to study the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Hayden will head up the fact-finding and advisory mission to the southern states of the US, which were devastated by the wind, rain and floods just over a month ago.

The group will pass on its information and expertise of flooding in the UK and study how their American counterparts tackle the after effects of the disaster to see what lessons can be learned.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority spokesman Alec Mackie said: "Mr Hayden came here from Norfolk, where he gained experience of flooding, and, of course, we in Worcestershire are no strangers to it.

"The group will see the problems in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and be able to say, 'This is how we have handled flooding' and also see what they can take on board."

After the trip, US firefighter Battalion Chief Tim Rogers, from Charlotte, North Carolina, will come to Worcester to speak at a flood management seminar on Monday, October 31. The two trips will renew links between Worcestershire and American fire crews that were forged after the twin towers terrorist attacks in 2001 when chief fire officer David O'Dwyer went to assist the rescue operation.

With the expertise gained on that visit an urban search and rescue unit - based in Worcester - is being set up to respond to British emergencies involving collapsed buildings.

Hurricane Katrina, which first hit on Thursday, August 25, is the costliest and most destructive natural disaster in American history, with the death toll above 1,150 and more than £120bn damage.