storm desmond

when did it occur and where

• In 2015 storm demons hit Cumbria and other Northern areas in Britain 

why was the storm so significant

• already saturated ground conditions

• 341mm of rainfall in 24 hours

• the lake district is characterised by its steep hills, but these caused water to flow rapidly into rivers down hills

social impacts

• Over 500 homes were flooded

• 60,000 lost electricity which meant that many business and schools had to shut down

economic impacts

• A total of £500 million in damage was done 

• This was primarily due to infrastructure damage 

bridge impact

• A number of bridges were swept away by floodwater, including Pooley Bridge in Ullswater which was built in 1764. 

positive and negative environmental impact

• In the Yorkshire Dales, Malham Cove waterfall began to flow again for the first time in living memory. 

• Rivers burst their banks which flooded agricultural land and increased the rate of soil erosion

what efforts were put into place to reduce future floods

• tree planting to increase interception

• river restoration to increase capacity

• leaky dams to slow water flow