Implications of Flooding on York - Term Paper Example

Implications of Flooding on York Introduction The of York is based at the joint between the rivers Ouse and Foss in the region of Northern Yorkshire. The city has in the past been home to outstanding political occurrences and events and is a major tourist attraction. Although it has an endowment of attraction hot points, its major attraction is the York Minster, which is one of the most humongous and intricate cathedrals in the Northern Europe setting. The city came into existence courtesy of the Romans who constructed it as a fort (71 AD). Its development can be attached to the fact that it was an economic hub for wool trading and this earned it the position of the capital of the ecclesiastical province. The 19th century saw the city grow into manufacturing and as a hub for transport in the railway sector which contributed further to its economic prowess. The city has had inauspicious encounters with constant flooding throughout the various time frames since its beginning. River Ouse has been the prevalent source of this flooding. In 1968, the river was 14ft and five inches and this was its all-time high since the year 1947. In 1877, the Ouse had stood at 13 ft. upon which there was significant damage on buildings in its center and surrounding buildings in North Street. The year 1892 was another momentum that witnessed the Foss flood and the Ouse stand at 11ft above its normal level. In the year 2000, the biggest floods since its inception hit it and saw to it that hundreds of people were left homeless and the damage that came about was worth millions (Kusky, 2008). The fact that the River Ouse’s banks had burst open resulted in an immediate evacuation of residential areas surrounding it. Implications of flooding on York The occurrence of flooding has had an impact on the agricultural sector. Although York is an urban setting, the fact that its inception came in at the time that agriculture and farming were just beginning to take root, made it an agricultural hub. In 1982, the occurrence of flooding as a result of the River Ouse saw the destruction of up to 19,000 hectares of land. The land was buried under water completely destroying the entire crop that had been cultivated and threatening to a great extent its potential fertility (Kusky, 2008). Agriculture being a source of economic progress for the city, the problem hit too close to home. Constant flooding in this area could eventually render the land agriculturally useless; a situation that, needless to say, would cost the city a great deal of economic losses. Additionally, similar incidences of flooding in 1982 saw the displacement of residents. This obviously had a notable effect not only on the eventual outlook of the city but also on the stability of its residents. A situation like this rids the residents and surrounding settlements of a sense of belonging and a feeling of constant panic (Kusky, 2008). The city requires manpower, but this is a situation that will be lacking if no one is willing to settle in its center or outskirts. Under the circumstances of its consistent flooding incidences, the number of people that settle in and around it has reduced considerably, owing to predictions that the situation could occur repeatedly. The city has suffered from many drainage problems as a result of flooding. This is to say, it has experienced difficulty in getting rid of surface water. This is because the drainage systems put in place are unable to deal with the water overflow. This is because the system was not meant to handle as much water as it encounters in a flood. In this case, the floods cause more havoc since the water levels on the ground are way higher than the normal and the drainage system becomes so full that it cannot cope with the drainage of the water. Notably, the city of York experiences constant drainage problems which would explain the existence of so many drainage companies such as York Drainage and Clear First. The incidence of flooding has resulted in the loss of life among city dwellers. This occurs both directly and indirectly. The direct event is in the fact that, if the flooding happens unexpectedly, people could drown with the probability of survival close to nil (BBC, 2012). This occurs if one lacks an escape root and is trapped in a property. The indirect occurrence is in the loss of life through lack of shelter and food. The floods destroy the source of livelihood for many people, not to mention, leaving them displaced. It is common knowledge that these are essentials and lack of them would only result in death or if one is lucky, health deterioration and complications. The regular occurrences of flooding have seen to it that there is a significant decrease in employment. This is because of the various losses that have been experienced in terms of destruction of commercial property. This property is a source of livelihood for millions of residents and the destruction of it renders them jobless (BBC, 2012). Unemployment leaves the city susceptible to crime, which is an immense threat to the city. This comes about as a result of pent up energy and manpower especially with regard to the youth. If this energy is not utilized in other features and for development purposes, they will in turn focus on crime to put food on their tables. This devastates the economy with incidences such as burglary on the rise and at the same time man power loss is experienced as it is focused on unnecessary actions. Flooding, no doubt digs a whole on state income and expenditure. Government income could be a great economic boost if it were spent on development features such as investment and industrial innovation. This is not the case, however, in York; the government is forced to spend millions of pounds in refunding and reconstructing the damaged buildings. In 2000, the state paid out the total cost of repairs rather than 85% and the local authorities was to have access to this money in just less than 15 days. Furthermore, 51 Million pounds were put in as additional expenses to improve defenses for floods over a period of 4 years (Kusky, 2008). This in itself illustrates the heavy expenditure that the government incurs in the rate of a flood that could have been put to use in other elements. Flooding has taken a toll on sanitation and sewerage in the city. It is because of the constant floods that the residential and commercial systems experience blockage. In this event, the sewers go back into residential and commercial properties. This situation is particularly unhealthy because it espouses the residents to diseases and other health complications. For instance, cases of typhoid and cholera have been prevalent because of flooding in the city (BBC, 2012). These are serious and dangerous health complications that have a detrimental effect on people. Their occurrence and reoccurrence levels are noted to be on a higher level in the time frame following a flood. Sanitation and sewerage problems can bear much other immeasurable negativity. The constant flooding that has been experienced in the city of York has threatened the investment potential of the city. This is because investment is a risk in that the occurrences of a flood can occur at any one time. Recent incidences of investment losses owing to floods have not initiated much to assist with the situation and have, in fact, attributed to shying away of investors. This investment, notably, is not only local investment but foreign investment (BBC, 2012). The fact that investment assists the economy as a financial and material back up means that York is left at an economic disadvantage. The entire burden of investment is left to the state and private investor that are in direct ownership of the businesses, in question. This goes to show yet another economic mishap borne out of flooding. The greatest disadvantage that flooding brings to York is the loss of sustainability. Sustainability in ecological and economic aspects can determine the brightness or lack of it of a region’s future. Sustainability implies the capability to meet the current generation’s needs without affecting the ability to meet those of future generations. All the above incidences; lack of investment, loss of property, loss of sewerage and sanitation and taking toll on state income all threaten the financial element of future generations. This is because all the development that the city may have made is narrowed to down to almost nothing in the incident of a flood hence affecting the financial security that both the current and future generations need. Sustainability has been established as the greatest essential for the development that is significant, and as it stands currently York is far from achieving it. Conclusion The City of York can be termed lucky because it is positioned in a superpower nation. The disaster management effectiveness that the United Kingdom has bears it better than harm. The same could not have been said, were it positioned in a developing country because the number of times that floods have hit it would be enough to cripple the economy completely. However, one would hope that the state and residents of this city are adequately prepared should another flood occur because if it does, regardless of the Nation’s current world status, lack of preparedness would render the development anything but significant. Photographic evidence of flooding in York Destruction of roads after the 2008 floods The water levels in the 2008 floods; they remained much the same after a year The water levels after the River Ouse burst in 2012 References BBC (2012, September 22). York homes flooded as River Ouse rises. Retrieved April 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-19732741 Kusky, T. M. (2008). Floods: Hazards of surface and groundwater systems. Facts On File. Read More