Impacts of Flooding
Geography: Edexcel A Level, topic 7.2.4
Environmental Impacts of Flooding
Flooding leads to a mass of water in unusual places, which can be damaging for the environment because soils and ecosystems are impaired.
Soils
- When flooding takes place, sediment from places such as the banks and beds of the river are eroded.
- This sediment can block sections of a river - for example, underground waterworks.
- Flooding can also lead to soil erosion of fertile soil in places such as the Amazon.
Ecosystems
- Flooding can destroy plants so they are damaged beyond use or are uprooted and broken into pieces in the river channel.
- When agricultural land is flooded, a farmer's harvest may be destroyed and they will need to completely restart.
- If plants, agriculture or habitats are damaged by flooding, the animals that are dependent on them for food and shelter are at risk. Animals have to compete for limited resources or migrate to other ecosystems, resulting in a decline in some species.
Socio-Economic Impacts of Flooding
Flooding leads to a mass of water in unusual places, which can have huge social and economic consequences. The effects can be seen in a population's economic activity, infrastructure and settlement.
Economic activity
- Many businesses close while transport and infrastructures such as roads and bridges can be damaged.
- Business owners lose productivity and income when workers can't get into work.
- Shops that are damaged may lose their stock.
- Insurance companies often pay out to those who have suffered from the flood. In the 2015 Cumbrian floods, insurance companies predicted the total costs would reach £500 million. It is also established that the local economy and businesses lost a total of £200m.
Infrastructure
- Floods can lead to the long-term or temporary inability to use infrastructures such as roads, railways and bridges. The 2015 Cumbria floods damaged 100 bridges with a huge impact on communities.
- During the 2015 Cumbria Floods, road and rail travel was suspended because of the network damages.
Settlement
- During the 2015 Cumbria Floods, 42,000 homes were without power around Lancaster because of a flooded power station being shut off.
- 5,000 homes were flooded within the three days of rainfall in the Cumbria area.
- It is established that the damages to homes from the Cumbria flooding was a total of £150m.
Test yourself on Impacts of Flooding
How much is the damage to homes estimated to be from the Cumbrian floods in 2015?
Which of the following statements about the 2015 Cumbria floods are correct?