MEDC flood boscastle Flashcards
location
Boscastle is located in southwest England (Cornwall)The River Valency flows directly through the town and meets the River Jordan at a confluence in the town.
Basic facts about the flood
On the 16th of August, 2004, the small town of Boscastle was almost completely destroyed in the space of just two hours when a 1 in 400 year flash flood occurred.
Causes of the flood
A combination of the remnants of Hurricane Alex and convectional rainfall. In two hours over 60mm of rain fell in Boscastle and by the end of the flood, nearly 200mm had fallen.
The rain fell over Bodmin Moor, an area composed of impermeable shale that is has sparse vegetation cover. reducing infiltration and increasing surface runoff.
Economic effects
Insurance claims came in between £15,000 and £30,000 per property. There was the potential for insurance prices to rise as a result of the flood but this was unlikely because of the rarity of a flood of this scale.
After the events of the flood, people were less willing to travel to Boscastle because of the (low) risk of another flood occurring.
Social effects
Nobody was killed thanks to the rescue efforts but some people suffered from broken bones & hypothermia.
Houses were flooded and silt, sewage & debris was deposited inside of them.
Water & power supplies were taken out during the flood.
Environmental effects
Raw sewage was washed out to sea and into the River Valency.
75 cars & 6 buildings were washed out to sea.
Short term responses
Just a few hours after the river flooded, a search and rescue operation was underway. Over 150 people were saved by search and rescue operations.
11 Days after the flood people were allowed to return to their homes to salvage their belongings. Living in their homes wasn’t really viable at this stage.
A few days after the flood, geologists flew over the area to assess the risk of landslides triggered by the heavy rain.
Long term responses
By early 2005, power and water was back up.
In 2006, the channel was widened and deepened to increase its capacity and ability to handle sudden increases in discharge.
people in Boscastle to take their environmental footprint far more seriously because they were led to believe that climate change exacerbated by human activity was responsible for the “freak weather”
