Flooding Sheffield in the United Kingdom - Case Study Example

The 2007 Sheffield floods Name Institution Course Module Instructor Date of submission In the month of June and July, the southern and central parts of the UK experienced heavy rainfall that caused massive flooding in a number of towns and villages Sheffield included. Although the flooding is mainly attributed to the heavy rain particularly on June 25th and July 20th, the rains were relatively heavy throughout the summer and preceding winter and were reportedly the highest in the UK since 1766 (Menteth 2007). There were minor cases of localized flash floods that affected major river basins around Sheffield and other neighboring areas such as Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Evesham. A number of streets were completely flooded, houses totally or partially submerged and crop fields were totally submerged. Several people drowned, many were displaced, homes, roads and other structures destroyed which amounting to colossal losses. The floods were caused by unprecedented weather patterns that not only rocked the Sheffield town but rather the hole of the UK. Scientists attribute changes in weather patterns to human activities, more so in this age and time of global warming, a problem that has caught global attention as it threatens the mere existence of life. One of the common effects of global warming is abnormally heavy rainfall patterns while in some other there is prolonged drought and famine. Smith and Petley (2009) classify inland floods into three according to causal factors: atmospheric hazards, technologic hazards and tectonic hazards. The Sheffield floods fall under the atmospheric hazard group under the subcategory of rainfall based. They note that flooding from rivers often falls under flash floods. Flash floods according to Smith and Petley (2009) are most common in arid and semi arid areas. Their claim however does not hold in the case of the UK as the area does not qualify to be categorized under the arid and semi arid. Nonetheless, they add that flash floods can also occur in low lying areas with little vegetation or highly developed urban settings where there is little plant cover. Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek (2006) say that flash floods typically occur in the headwaters of a rivers system no matter the climatic conditions through semi arid and arid areas report higher frequencies. In Sheffield alone, two people were reported dead as a result of the floods (BBC 2007). Comparing this to what other regions prone to flash floods report, then either the degree of the floods was minimal or there was greater awareness of the risk of floods in Sheffield. Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek (2006) however note that in the case of flash floods warning time is limited. For example in 1976 in Colorado US, 139 people perished in flash floods after six hours of 300 mm rainfall that also claimed millions of dollars in damaged property. Flash floods are considered to be more dangerous than other forms of flooding basically due to the inability to forecast them and issue warning to the inhabitants of the areas exposed to such risks. Consequently, meteorologists often recommend evacuation of towns and villages located in prone areas which is not really a feasible option. Smith and Petley (2009) note that the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is one such area that meteorologists consistently suggest that it should be evacuated because the city lies at the lower end of a relatively steep fan shaped basin which is a perfect hydrological condition for flash floods. While the same cannot be said of Sheffield, the fact that it is located in a low lying area predisposes it to flash floods. In response, the government and relevant authorities have developed flood response and prevention mechanisms alongside the more extensive disaster management and planning iniatives. In the UK, the oldest flooding management policy dates back to the 12th century (Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek 2006) where dykes were constructed along River Danube. In the 17th century, England had over 100 km of embankments to protect settlement and farmland from floods. In modern times, flood management is structured in a manner to address local social, economic issues and topological issues. In fact the same authors indicate that “the language used by the professional community involved in flood management reflects differing national and social attitudes to flooding and these have changed over the past 50 years. All these (new) terms indicate a philosophy of human control over the nature and the protection of property against the common enemy of the elements” (Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek, p.24). The changes in flooding management and response are all inclined towards mitigating the immediate risks and impacts to the community. Most notable among the immediate effects of floods are loss of life and property in the affected regions whose severity is highly dependent on the disaster response management systems employed and the severity of the floods (Parker 2006). As aforementioned, the Sheffield floods had relatively lower impact as shown by the loss of two lives as compared to floods in other regions where death occurred in hundreds. According to the summer 2007 floods report by Menteth (2007), these floods were not as physically extensive as other past floods in the UK though the rainfall was higher. Flooding often creates difficulties in accessibility and interferes with communication and transport systems. In the case of Sheffield and other areas, roads and streets were flooded making movement nearly impossible to access people at risk. In fact helicopters and speedboats are best preferred in carrying out rescue and evacuation procedures. For example, in Sheffield a total of 1273 buildings were entirely flooded as a result of flush floods, (Menteth 2007), up to 28,000 homes partly or severely ruined and over 6,800 businesses were affected in the both in Hull and Sheffield (Stevens, 2008). In some places, the waters were as deep as feet thereby locking out traffic and people from accessing their homes and workplaces. Parker (2006) notes that oftentimes, such inconveniences that cannot be accounted for monetarily are overlooked as evaluators tend to consider the physical destruction of buildings and loss of life. For instance, the BBC reports that “Roads across the county have been closed due to flooding and people have been advised to avoid travelling. All bus services operated by First in Sheffield have been temporarily withdrawn.” However, such a report is given lower emphasis in the report than the loss of two lives; a young boy of 13 and aged woman of 68. These inconveniences often accumulate in to huge economic costs for the involved parties and also in general. Parker (2006) argues that floods in agricultural productive regions have the most visible and direct negative impacts on the inhabitants of the affected regions. However, he argues that consumers of such agricultural products often suffer because there is interruption in supply of such products to the market. From an economic point of view, this leads to a hike in prices of agricultural products. In some extreme cases some products are momentarily missed in the market. Many scientists agree that under the atmospheric classification of floods, man’s interference with the ecological balance is responsible for causing harsh climatic conditions that may result in floods. Parker (2006) cites one Terry Hillman who takes another interesting perspective on floods and argues that they are also responsible for disturbing the ecological balance of an area and as a result worsen the atmospheric hazard. He says that although floods in ancient times were responsible for the formation of flood plans in low lying areas, consistence recurrence of the same is destructive to the plains. He says that flash floods, due to the high speed of the waters create gullies and rills in the plains thereby transporting a significant amount of soil down the river stream as flood waters recede. The 2007 floods report by Menteth (2007) summarizes the interruption of transports and normal day to day operations in a simple paragraph. There was serious disruption to transport during both events, with many roads (most notably the M5 in southwest England) closed due to flooding and landslides on the night of Friday, July 20, leaving travelers stranded. In many cases, roads were badly damaged by the floods and left in need of repairs. Thousands of vehicles were affected by the flooding as roads suddenly turned to rivers. In most cases, vehicles were damaged completely, requiring full replacement, especially if electric systems were affected. Abandoned cars also interfered with transport, as they obstructed many roads. Landslides and flooding blocked many railway lines, closing down some commuter lines for several” weeks (p. 6). The world Heath Organization has listed flooding as one of the major predisposing causes of communicable disease outbreaks especially in waterborne disease such as Cholera, diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis A. however, flooding does not automatically lead to increased cases of water borne diseases unless water sources and sewage and waste disposal systems are affected. Contamination of drinking water especially at the source is linked to disease outbreaks. This is most common in densely populated residential areas (WHO 2010). Drowning is also considered to be a health risk of floods. This is both relevant in humans and animals. In cases where bodies are not retrieved and disposed well, they pose significant danger to the survivors and rescuers. However, there is no evidence that indicate that corpses can cause epidemics and outbreaks after flooding. This is because most disease causing agents found in humans cannot last for more than a week in corpses other than the HIV which lasts about six days (WHO 2010). In recognition of the adverse effects and the dangers posed by the 2007 summer flooding in Sheffield and other towns in the UK, the British government carried out one of the greatest peacetime rescue operations in the country’s history as described by the Fire Brigades Union. The Royal Air Force (RAF) and the police, being some of the best equipped in terms of human capital and machinery, were mostly involved. Police and military helicopters were assigned to the rescue mission in retrieving bodies and also evacuation people from prone and affected areas. Different fire brigades in the various counties affected by the floods all operated in unison in carrying out rescue operations. However, some counties such as Hull were criticized for carrying out rescue operations half heartedly by the locals. However, the county absolved itself blame by claiming it had inadequate resources to carry out rescue operations effectively as it had to rely largely of RAF. The 2007 summer floods n the UK presented a crucial test to the government and local authorities in their disaster preparedness and emergency services programs. According to the environmental agency, the incidence was crucial in identifying important factors in the rescues and disaster preparedness programs. The agency argues that rescue operations need to be coordinated and integrated for efficiency. The report suggests that electricity companies, welfare groups, water companies and business societies need to precisely identify their strategic plans and roles in handling such disasters. From the events, it was apparent that not many of these groups save for the local authorities and businesses had well articulated policies of floods with many of them giving weight to dangers of fires in the work place and buildings. Consequently, very few people were enlightened on how to respond to dangers posed by floods. The recommendations brought out in the environmental agency reports concur with the Ribamond principles in flood management practice (Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek 2006). One of the most obvious is the integration of all rescue operations. This set of principles notes that construction of flood defense infrastructure should for instance been carried in line with town planning matters in mind to avert conflict of interest. Town planners on the other hand should work hand in hand with disaster management planners. Existing rescue services should be well equipped so as to enable flood risk forecasting, detection, warning and eventual response. Earlier before the floods, the UK goverment had adopted a flood management policy from a joint initiative by the European Union. The members developed a best “practice document” that provides a guideline to flooding management and response matters. The document is inclusive of the Ribamond principles and also includes Integrated river basin approach Public awareness, public participation and insurance Research, education and exchange of knowledge Retention of water and non structural measures Land use, zoning and risk assessment Structured measures and their impacts flood emergency Prevention and pollution (Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek p. 26) All in all the UK government has responded well to the summer 2007 floods by initiating appropriate policies. Most notable is the introduction of flood risk insurance polices that is most relevant to people living and doing business in risk prone areas. Again, the mishaps of the 2007 summer floods provides an inflexion point through which other policies can be applied and tested to replace existing ones to increases efficiency and relevance. References BBC. Two die in Sheffield flood chaos http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/6239000.stm Environment Agency (2007). Review of 2007 summer floods. http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/pdf/GEHO1107BNMI-e-e.pdf Menteth, Alice (2007). summer floods ed. Ericksen Shelly. http://www.rms.com/publications/uk_summer_2007_floods.pdf Parker, Dennis, (2000). Floods, Vol 1. London: Taylor & Francis Schanze, Zeman and Marsalek (2006). Flood risk management: hazards, vulnerability and mitigation measures. London: Springer Smith, Keith & Petley, David. (2009). Environmental hazards: assessing risk and reducing disaster. London: Taylor & Fancis Stevens, Roberts (2007). The human cost of the June 2007 floods in Britain. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/jul2007/floo-j16.shtml WHO. (2010). Flooding and communicable diseases fact sheet. http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/ems/flood_cds/en/ Read More