Boscastle Flood case study

Question 1

what date?

Answer 1

16th August 2004

Question 2

flash flood

Answer 2

summer months, moist air=rain clouds

6 inches in 6 hours

Question 3

physical causes of flooding

Answer 3

• heavy rain fell on otterham moors…locals unprepared for speed of flood=no time to reduce damage
• coastal storms on 16th august battered SW so ground was saturated and cannot absorb more water
• confluence of river Jordon and river valency located close to Boscastle so amount of discharge lead to banks overflowing

Question 4

human causes of flooding

Answer 4

• boscastle built directly on banks of river valency= speed in runoff an lack of infiltration (CONCRETE SURFACES)
• no flood control system=cannot be prepared/protect the area
• drainage systems were old and small=not strong enough to withstand the flood
• low bridges over river valancy so debris was trapped behind causing dam effect

Question 5

social impacts

Answer 5

• lives put at risk
• building smashed/destroyed especially in main street where the river channel flows
• -main sewage pipe burst spoiling thousands of houses
• people trapped in buildings and forced to seek refuge on top of roofs to await rescue. hyperthermia risks
• homeless so emergency accommodation set up

Question 6

environmental impacts

Answer 6

property destroyed by debris such as entire trees and vehicles speeding down the valley

Question 7

economic impacts

Answer 7

• loss of tourism…industry never recovered…leading to small businesses going out of business
• repairs were time consuming and costly. some buildings were beyond repair and had to be started from scratch
• damage affected residents and insurance companies. home insurance increased due to risk of flooding occurring again