Somerset Levels Case Study

Question 1

What are physical factors as to why Somerset need the plan?

Answer 1

• 3 times the average amount of precipitation fell on already saturated ground
• Storm = high tides = risk of flooding

Question 2

What are the human factors?

Answer 2

• lack of regular dredging for the last 20 years ( sediment build up = reduces captivity in rivers= risk of flooding)

Question 3

What is the 20 year flood plan?

Answer 3

£100 million pounds to be spent on.
- water pumping stations
- regular dredging
- widening local rivers

Question 4

Where is Somerset?

Answer 4

South west England

Question 5

What are social impact of the flooding?

Answer 5

• 600 plus homes destroyed and many evacuated
• villages cut off with only access in and out by boat
  Major transport lines were either disrupted or cut off completely
• Insurance prices spored

Question 6

What are the economic impacts?

Answer 6

• People coz run into abandoned houses and steal peoples belongings.
• Total cost of the damage = £80 mil
• local companies lost £1.2 mil
• the loss of the tourism costed the country £200 mil

Question 7

What are the environmental impacts?

Answer 7

• 1500 hectares of land flooded
• destroyed farmland and crops
• standing water made the land toxic and unusable for over a year
• mud and debris left from the floods damaged the vegetation.

Question 8

How did they prepare?

Answer 8

• emergency services created a warning system to give people time to prepare
• sandbags and flood boards were used to limit damages of peoples homes.