Flooding Flashcards
How many people were made homeless by the 1998 floods in Bangladesh?
30 million
In 1998, ……………. of Bangladesh was underwater for ……. days.
Two thirds, 50
The rivers flowing through Bangladesh drain a basin ……. times the size of Bangladesh.
10
Why is aggradation an issue in Bangladesh?
Irrigation in China and Nepal causes silt to enter the rivers; this is then deposited in Bangladesh and reduces the capacity of rivers
How much has Bangladesh’s population increased in recent decades?
Between 1960 and 2010, population grew from 58 million to 158 million
How many people in Bangladesh live below the poverty line (and therefore cannot protect themselves from flooding)?
50 million
How much does flooding in Bangladesh cost on average?
3-10% of GDP
What are three sustainable development projects being run in Bangladesh?
Practical Action’s fishing, pumpkin farming, Christian Aid’s ducks
Why do water-borne diseases such as cholera thrive during floods in Bangladesh?
Many people live very close together in slums or have to move into temporary shelters during the floods, and have very little access to healthcare
How much of the world’s population lives in the coast?
10%
What were the peak wave periods in the Atlantic in 2014?
Over 20 seconds
How high were some waves in the Atlantic in 2014?
Over 10m
In 2014, what was the most costly damage in the UK floods?
The destruction of the London-Penzance railway at Dawlish in South Devon; the regional economy lost £1-20 million a day for the two months it was closed
Why are storm waves so destructive?
Longer wave periods show fast movement, energy proportional to height squared, slightly bigger wave has a lot more energy
What evidence was there of cliff shaking in the UK 2013/2014?
Porthcothan arch and Pom Pom Rock stack collapsed, seismometers in Porthleven cliffs
How long did some villages stay underwater in Somerset?
7 weeks
How deep was the moorland flooding in Somerset?
3 feet
How many homes were flooded in Somerset?
600
Why did the water stay in Somerset for so long?
Flat reclaimed land, doesn’t drain
What management was in place upstream of Bridgewater?
A moor was left as sacrificial land, however the flooding was worse than expected so it spilled over into neighbouring fields and homes
The EA said it had protected 1.3 million homes. What evidence is there to suggest this?
In 2007, 48,000 homes were flooded in Tewkesbury; only 6,000 were flooded in 2014
What is the Jubilee river?
A £110 million artificial channel protecting Maidenhead, Eton and Windsor
How many homes does the Jubilee River protect?
3,000
What is a disadvantage of the Jubilee River?
It rejoins the Thames at Wraysbury, increasing the likelihood of flooding
