Contributory Factors Causing Flood - Essay Example

TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………2 CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS CAUSING FLOOD………………... 3 IMPACT AND RISK OF FLOOD……………………………………4 AGENCIES INVOLVED IN RESCUE………………………………..5 ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM……….6 SUMMARY Since 1766, summer of 2007 has been the wettest in England and Wales. June, July and August months brought successive downpours to UK triggering floods in many regions. The nature of floods was from small to localized flash floods and also major events affecting river basins. Within just four weeks there were two floods to hit the country. Sheffield was one of the cities affected badly by the flood outbreak. This flood was the worst since the 1864 which was due to dam defect. Rescue team had hard time dealing with the situation as incidence of flooding was reported in many areas simultaneously River banks burst and caused this flood which almost devastated the locality. The factor contributing to the flood was the prolonged rain and the already moist soil. The drainage and sewage system was not sufficient to drain the excess water brought in by the rain. But the Environmental agencies, military, local police all worked together for the rescue of the residence trapped in the flood. Almost all people were rescued and there were only little causality. Lesson to be learnt from this situation is that there should be a very sophisticated system for flood alert .Government should also be prepared with fund to assist residents during flood disaster. INTRODUCTION In 2007 Sheffield experienced a terrible disastrous flood which almost shook the city. It was a result of a heavy downpour which the country faced all across. Sheffield was not expected to affect by flood as it was considered a hilly city. This flood was the worst one hit by the city in 150 years. It raged through the city killing couple of people and destroying offices and buildings. Hundreds of people were stuck in offices and buildings waiting for their rescue. Roads across the city have been closed due to flooding and all people were evacuated from the flood affected areas. Bus operation was withdrawn and railway stations were evacuated to avoid contingencies.Flooding occurs when there is prolonged rainfall over several days on a low lying land. Even an intense rain fall over a short term, or an ice or debris jam on a river or stream can cause flood in the surrounding area. Floods are a common form of disaster faced by human which result in immense hardship and economic loss. The 90 percent of damage from all natural disaster is caused by floods and debris flown of it. “Traditional peoples have always known that floods do good. “ Floods deliver new sediment to the bottomlands around rivers, and that renews the soil. They clear years of brush and dead vegetation from streambeds, making it easy to travel on the river. Flooding leaves clear waters and refreshed habitats behind. But modern people use riversides for other things, like commerce and residences, and the routine flooding that comes with riverside living ruins their livelihood”(Alden, 2010). CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS CAUSING FLOOD One of the main factors for flood is when rain water exceeds the infiltrating capacity of the ground. The soil being already moist from the previous rain was less absorbable of the excess rain water. Also the urban landscape does not have the capacity to hold water more. Moreover the sewage and drainage was overwhelmed with the amount of rain fall received during the short period. There was also a reduced evaporation rate during the wet summer months due to below average sunshine. The increased rainfall with a low evaporation rate triggered the worst flood country ever seen in years.” When the discharge of a river increases, the channel may become completely full.  Any discharge above this level will result in the river overflowing its banks and causing a flood” (Nelson, 2008). Even the meteorological condition prior to the summer was a contributing factor to floods. The winter months of UK for that year also saw excess rainfall resulting in a moist soil and underground layer. To add more to the situation the cyclonic activity for the period was also high resulting in more rain. The drainage system was not efficient in the city to accommodate such adverse situation. This aggravated the flood since water was getting logged in the areas. Since these areas were low lying area there was no chance of water getting flown. Also the deforestation can be a reason for such extreme case of flooding as the ground become less absorbent of water. All these resulted in high floods. IMPACT AND RISKS OF FLOOD Flood caused havoc in both rural and urban areas Different kind of commercial, agricultural, and residential development in the flood plain was affected. The property damage caused to farmers in rural areas was a big loss.Livestocks could have been affected if they were unable to safeguard the livestock from rising flood waters. Commercial and residential properties in the cities damaged to an irreparable level as the flood was of high level. Furnishing of households and business inventories were lost as they were not remover before hand. There was a loss of power and damage to public utilities and other services .Bus operation stopped and railway stations were closed which made public commuting difficult. Facilities for drinking water and waster water treating system were out of operation. Transportation system was hard hit by the floods as roads were flooded with water which made the rescue services more difficult. Bridges and roads were be washed out by flood water. “Residents have been evacuated, streets are being pumped, and city centre motorists are stuck in miles of gridlock as flash-flooding hit Sheffield – again” (Crabtree, 2009) The major risk of flood was that it caused high fatalities as people were drowned and killed .Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes during the severe flooding. More than hundreds of properties were flooded and also the patients in hospital experienced discomfort due to the extreme situation. “The adverse effect of flooding is recognized when it disrupts the road transportation system of a country since it is considered as a country’s socio-economic lifeline” (Hussein) AGENCIES INVOLVED IN RESCUE Environmental agency issued flood warning to alert the residents and get ready for survival steps. They have sophisticated system to monitor the water rising level of rivers in order to alert flood occurance. They put forward flood defenses to help the people to fight flood disaster. Fire Control Operators were involved in helping vast numbers of people in distress: and rescuing people trapped in trees, on top of houses, in cars and on low-lying ground. Fire control was informing the officials regarding the intensity of floods and multiple rescues they are dealing with. They were also helping to pump out water from local shops to save the small scale businesses. “The Fire Brigades Union described the rescue effort as the biggest in peacetime Britain” (Stevens, 2007) Ministry of Defense Helicopters employed helicopters to rescue people on roof tops and trees. An Emergency Rest Centre was opened to accommodate the displaced people around the city who have lost families and friends. Local police also was busy with rescue aids and providing ambulance to the injured and people at risk of dying. The police causality bureau was operating to keep the communication alive. Fire control continued to assist with clean up operations and help the people to collect provisions from their houses. They stayed at the location for several days and mostly all were involved in the rescue operation. Unknown number of people was evacuated by the fire fighters; some were rescued by military search and rescue helicopters. Government also sent relief packages to aid the flood victims. ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Environmental Management system assessed the situation of flood and studied the reason for the occurrence of flood. The impact of flood on the environment and habitat was analyzed and measures to reconstruct the environment were taken. Pollution on water and prevention of illness were considered in order to avoid more serious affect on the residents. The soil erosion and destruction of land structure were restructured to improve the landscape Restoration of the environment and the public places were performed. There was an important lesson learned that the efficiency for managing emergencies like flood was low. Even the drainage system of the city was little out dated and was not sufficient to face the flood.” We need to be more willing to tell people the truth about risk. The current lack of clarity and transparency has the potential to put not only people’s homes, but lives in jeopardy” (Pitt, 2007) Houses should be elevated to avoid damage from flood. Water shed management can also be implemented. Environment Agency and Met office should work together jointly improve their technical facility to forecast and warn the residents. Government should have a fully funded flood rescue capability. Fire and rescue authorities should play a lead role to make the effort more successful. “The two main factors affecting the floods, the meteorology and physical conditions in the river basin, have both varied significantly In the recent past” (Fleming, 2002) Bibiliography Alden, A. (2010). Flood, the routine disaster. Retrieved from http://geology.about.com/cs/water/a/aa010200a.htm Crabtree, S. (2009). Floods bring more misery to sheffield. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/LATEST-Floods-bring-more-misery.5354677.jp Fleming, G. (2002). Flood risk management. London: Thomas Telford Publishng Hossain, M.S. A Gis to reduce flood impact on road transportation. Retrieved from http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc04/docs/pap1512 Nelson, S.A. (2008). River flooding. Retrieved from http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol204/riverflooding.htm Pitt, M. (2007). Learning lessons from the 2007 floods. Retrieved from http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/pittreview/_/media/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/flooding_review/final_press_notice%20pdf.pdf Stevens, R. (2007). The Human cost of the june floods in britain. Retrieved from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/jul2007/floo-j16.shtml Read More