UK WEATHER HAZARDS

What are the weather hazards in the UK

Prolonged rainfall
Thunderstorms
Extreme Cold & Heavy Snow
Strong Winds
Droughts & Extreme Heat

What was the causes of Somerset Flood

Rain
High Tides
Dredging

What were the social impacts of Somerset Flood

Over 600 homes flooded
Residents were temporarily evacuated
16 farms had to be evacuated
Power supplies cut off
Lifestyles were severly disrupted

What were the economic impacts of Somerset Flood

Cost of damage illustrated to be over £10M
Over 14,000 hectares of agriculture land was underwater for 3-4 weeks
1000 lifestock evacuated
Roads were cut off, affecting jobs + economy

What were the environmental impacts of Somerset Flood

Stagnant water was left deoxygenated for months, water had to be reoxygenated before being pumped back into rivers
Debris had to be cleared
Flooding destroyed ecosystems and limited food supplies
Sewage, chemicals like pestcides and oil contaminated the floodwater

What evidence is there that weather in the UK is getting worse

More energy in atmosphere, fuels storms
Intense and frequent periods of hot weather
Atmospheric Circulation changes moisture and pressure, changing precipitation patters

How was rain a cause of Somerset Floods

A series of depressions hit South-West UK, weeks of wet weather

How was high tides a cause of Somerset Floods

sea water levels were higher due to high tides and storm surges, prevented freshwater from being dredged, river levels rise further

How was dredging a cause of Somerset Floods

Rivers were full of sediment, not been dredged in over 30 years, less water could be help in river channel, overflowed quickly

What was the aim for Dredging

Dredge 8km of River Tone and River Parratt: increase capacity of river

What has been the progress of Dredging

2014: 130,000 cubic metres of silt removed
Maintanance dredging has been every year since

What was the aim for Drain Enhancements

Develop better drainage so that expensive pumping mechanisms do not need to be relied on

What has been the progress of Drain Enhancements

Culverts have been added to many roads, roads have also been raised

What has been the aim of Somerset Rivers Authority

Establish authority that is responsible for effective river management

What has been the progress of Somerset Rivers Authority

2015: SRA was launched, works to maintain and improve river managment