Somerset levels Flashcards
1
Q
Date
A
December 2013
2
Q
Causes (3)
A
- Weeks of wet weather - wettest January on record
- Saturated soil
- High tides and storm surges
3
Q
Social imacts (5)
A
- More than 600 homes flooded
- 16 farms evacuated
- Temporary accommodation for residents needed for several months
- Some villages cut off
- Power supplies disrupted
4
Q
Economic impacts (4)
A
- Over 14000 hectares of agricultural land flooded for weeks
- over 1000 livestock evacuated
- Roads cut off + railway line closed
- £10 million damage estimated
5
Q
Environmental impacts (3)
A
- Contaminated river water with sewage, oils and chemicals
- Large amoutns of debris deposited across the land
- Stagnant water had to be reoxygenated then pumped back into the river
6
Q
Management strategies to reduce risk
A
- River banks raised and strengthened
- Somerset county council lanched a £20 million Flood action plan
- Road levels raised
- Flood defences for communites at risk
- Pumping stations were built
