boscastle case study

Question 1

describe boscastle’s location (august 2004)

Answer 1

• by the sea, south-west of England, in cornwall
• land around the town is steep
• three rivers join at a confluence in boscastle

Question 2

what were the physical causes of the flood?

Answer 2

• flood happened at high tide
• soils thin, impermeable peat soils and already saturated easily with water from previous rainfall. surface run off increased.
• two months worth of rain fell in just two hours (125mm), so river levels rose rapidly.
• very few trees in the area to absorb and intercept the rainfall and reduce the amount of surface run-off.

Question 3

what were the human causes of the flood?

Answer 3

• no existing flood control system in the village - floods have never before occurred.
• the sewer and drainage system in the village was very old and had little capacity.
• deforestation meant there were fewer trees to absorb surface run-off.
• more buildings in the drainage basin meant more impermeable surfaces, so rainfall and surface water flowed into the river much quicker.
• some old bridges got blocked by flood debris (cars), acting as a dam. when water eventually smashed through them, there were huge surges of water as high as 5m.

Question 4

what were the social impacts of the flood?

Answer 4

• water rushed into houses, shops and pubs, causing damage to a lot of property. 58 properties flooded, 4 completely destroyed (i.e. visitor centre).
  I: businesses had to temporarily shut down, and people had to evacuate their homes.
  S: a lot of money was needed for the repair of homes and businesses, and this potentially came from the owners if there was no insurance.
  S: insurance prices also rose in the area due to the flood and its claims.
• about 1000 residents and visitors were directly impacted by the flood, rescue mission included rescuing 100 people in 7 helicopters to safety.
• 4 footbridges were swept away.
• out of 31 fire brigades in Cornwall, 29 were involved in the rescue operation, and remained for 1 week to help clean up.

Question 5

what were the environmental impacts of the flood?

Answer 5

• wildlife habitats were destroyed, and small animals would have died.
• the cars and debris that would have floated out to sea would have caused coastal pollution, and it’s highly likely that oil leaked from the cars into the ocean.
• riverbanks were eroded by the weight of the water.
• loss of agricultural land, important for many people as there were many landowners.

Question 6

what were the economic impacts of the flood?

Answer 6

• rescue operation (fire service, lifeboats, helicopters) and the clean-up was very expensive.
• impacted the local economy - tourism was impacted for quite some time, and 90% of the town’s income was from tourism.
  S: people would have seen a reduction in income until tourism began again.
• damage to infrastructure would have costed up to £2 million, the government had to invest in these repairs AND future flood defences.
• valuable objects washed away or damaged.
• cost to find temp accommodation for residents.
• many insurance claims due to flood, raising insurance prices. therefore it would be difficult to get insurance in the future for several businesses and homeowners, as it’s now too expensive.

Question 7

what was the management strategy for the boscastle flood?

Answer 7

• in 2008, flood management scheme completed. includes both soft and hard engineering strategies.
• environment agency carried out more than £10 million of improvement.
• removing low bridges, replaced with wider and higher bridges - water can now flow freely, the bridge won’t act as a dam.
• (in the flood, vegetation and debris became blocked on the bridge, acting as a dam).
• raising the car park, using a permeable surface - cars will no longer be swept away. raised bank also acts a flood defence.
• dead trees removed, prevents them from being swept away, causing blockages under bridges.
• land owners encouraged to plant vegetation and new trees - enhanced habitat for birds, bats, small mammals.
• road and drainage improvements.

Question 8

what were the social issues of the flood management scheme?

Answer 8

• rebuilding of projects and construction of flood defences took quite a while, meaning the lives of local people were disrupted for quite some time.
• the new bridge is unpopular with local people, as its out of character with the local buildings.
• the new defences have made boscastle a safer place to live.

Question 9

what were the economic issues of the flood management scheme?

Answer 9

• homes and businesses now at less risk of flooding. less risk of expensive damage to property, loss of stock and business, and rising insurance costs.
• scheme cost a lot, but still isn’t as good as it could be - too expensive?
• popular tourist destination, 90% of the local economy relied on tourism before 2004. flood protection has brough businesses and tourism back to the area again.

Question 10

what were the environmental issues of the flood management scheme?

Answer 10

• vegetation and river habitats in the area are now continuously managed. biodiversity and river habitats have been improved.
• new channel has bee engineered to look natural and to function like a normal river.