5.5C Damage from flooding

• Environmental impacts of drought:

  • Loss of crops 
  • Loss of habitats
  • Pollution of waterways
  • Soil and bank erosion
  • Eutrophication
  • Siltation but also soil replenishment
  • Recharge groundwater stores
• Socio-economic impacts of drought:

  • Loss of life, property and infrastructure
  • Road closure and loss of communications
  • Long-term rehoming of people
  • Cost of house insurance increases
  • Loss of income from employment, agriculture and/or tourism
• UK flooding: Facts

  • The risk of floods are increasing in the UK
  • In 2020, England received 141% of its average February rainfall in less than 2 weeks during a series of storms
  • Flood defences were overrun in many places (i.e. Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire)
  • Heavy rain led to drains quickly over filling and back spilling water onto streets
• UK flooding 2007:

  • 414mm of rainfall across England and Wales
  • Gloucestershire and Worcestershire flooding, left 48,000 homes without power for two days, and 10,000 motorists were stranded on the M5 overnight  
  • Surface water and river flooding affected more than 55,000 homes and businesses across the country
  • 7,000 people were rescued
  • 17,000 families had to leave their homes
  • 13 people died
  • Estimates put the total losses at about £4bn, of which insurable losses were reported to be about £3bn
• UK flooding 2012:

  • The 2012 floods were a series of weather events during the course of the year and on through the winter into 2014
  • At the start of 2012, the UK experienced drought and a March heatwave. By April, a series of low pressure systems brought by the jet stream, the wettest month in a 100 years
  • warm air from the Azores meeting water laden cold air from the west
  • Intense low pressure systems in September, November and December brought heavy rains, which overwhelmed the already saturated ground, causing widespread flooding