1.3.16

UK Weather Hazards Case Study: Somerset 2014

Test yourself

Extreme Weather in the UK - Somerset Levels Floods 2014

Flooding affected the Somerset Levels in 2014. The Somerset Levels is a low-lying area of south-west England.

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Record rainfall

  • Record rainfall in January and February 2014 saturated the land.
    • The record rainfall caused the rivers and drains to overflow.
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Tidal rivers

  • The rivers in this area are tidal.
    • Tidal rivers go up and down with the tide.
    • High tides made the flooding worse.
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The Environment Agency

  • Some people blamed the Environment Agency for the flooding as the rivers hadn't been dredged for 20 years.
  • Dredging a river is when you take out mud from the bed of a river.

Effects & Responses

Flooding affected the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014. Let's have a look at the varying effects and responses.

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Effects of the floods

  • The social impact was that over 600 houses were flooded.
  • The economic impact was that there was an estimated £10 million of damage.
  • The environmental impact was that the flood water was polluted with waste.
    • The waste was deposited when the floods receded.
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Immediate responses

  • The immediate responses to the Somerset Level floods in 2014 included:
    • The evacuation of people from villages (e.g. Moorland).
    • Support from community groups and volunteers.
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Long term responses

  • The long term responses to the Somerset Level floods in 2014 included:
    • The announcement of a £20 million Flood Action Plan by the Environment Agency and Somerset County Council.
    • 8 km of rivers were dredged.

Jump to other topics

1The Challenge of Natural Hazards

1.1Natural Hazards

1.2Tectonic Hazards

1.3Weather Hazards

1.4Climate Change

2The Living World

3Physical Landscapes in the UK

3.1The UK Physical Landscape

3.2Coastal Landscapes in the UK

3.3River Landscapes in the UK

3.4Glacial Landscapes in the UK

4Urban Issues & Challenges

5The Changing Economic World

6The Challenge of Resource Management

6.1Resource Management

6.2Food

6.3Water

6.4Energy

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