Somerset Levels Flood, 2014 (Case Study)

Cards (4)

  • Causes
    • Physical - A quick succession of prolonged Atlantic storms. Rivers couldn't hold all the rainfall
    • Human - Dredging, changes in farming practices, changing land use
  • Social impacts
    Short term
    • Temporary housing
    • Several villages, such as Moorland and Muchelney, were cut off
    • 1000 livestock evacuated
    • Oil and gas stolen
    Long term
    • Train service disrupted
    • A361 closed
  • Economic impacts
    Short term
    • 600 homes and 16 farms evacuated
    • £10 million in damages
    • Over 14,000 hectares of agricultural land flooded
    Long term
    • Fuel used to power emergency pumps cost £200,000 per week
    • £1 million lost by local businesses
    • Tourism industry lost £200 million
  • Environmental impacts
    Short term
    • 10% of the area was underwater when flooding was at its greatest
    Long term
    • Extensive contamination of floodwaters by sewage, oil and various chemical pollutants
    • Significant amount of debris removed
    • Stagnant water re-oxygenated
    • In some areas it took over 2 years to restore the soil before crops could be grown