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Somerset Level - Jan 2014 - Flooding - Coggle Diagram
Somerset Level - Jan 2014 - Flooding
Landscape
was previously covered by sea but was drained in the 17th century for agriculture.
channels were built to drain the marshes
romans built tidal flood defences
vulnerable to both tidal flooding and storms.
National Management
Government 20 year flood plan
Dredge more of the River Parrent and the River Thames
Repair damaged flood banks
Raise the road to Mulchelney
Permanent pumps
Build a barrier, similar to the Thames Barrier
Local Management
Environment Agency
62 pumps working 24hours a day that removed 1.5 tones of water.
Pumps were borrowed from the Netherlands.
Emergency Response
Royal marines helped cut off villages
Police increased patrols
Defences
Nearly 50 defenses in need of repair, including pumps, embankments and costal defenses.
Future
Dredging in the River Parrent took place after the flooding.
Farmers will be paid to store flood water
Attempts to reduce run-off from housing developments
Impacts
Social
600 homes affected
villages cut off
roads became inaccessible which meant journey times increased.
Economic
Cost to somerset between £82m and £147m
Livestock had been moved or sold
Businesses lost trade
Environmental
7000 hectares of agricultural land under water for over a month
Little of the wildlife was affected
Causes
Human
Famers had warmed the government that it was required but the government didn't do anything about it.
River Parrent had not been dredged for 20 years and was blocked
If the river had been dredged it would have been wider and deeper. It used to happen every 5 years which costed £4m
Building on the floodplain, some below sea level.
Physical
12 major storms between mid December 2013 to February 2014.
Prolonged rain / tidal surges
Powerful jet stream drove low pressure systems and their storms across the Atlantic.