Areas of high risk in the UK
Picture
The map on the left shows the areas of England and Wales considered to be most at risk from flooding in the UK. It highlights the extent to which those areas are likely to flood from overflowing rivers and exceptionally high seas if there are no flood defences in place. Flooding is a naturall occurrence, which cannot always be prevented in advance. If our climate changes as many experts predict, bringing fiercer storms and wetter winters, along with a rise in sea level, the likelihood of floods will increase.
Flood prediction
The Environment Agency works out which places are at risk from flooding and issues warnings, when necessary. Three codes are
used:
· Flood Alert
· Flood Warning
· Severe Flood Warning
The codes tell people whether flooding is expected and what they should do. The Environment Agency also lets people know when the risk of any further flooding has passed.
Very interesting weblink to Env Agency and also Flood Map
http://www.shoothill.com/FloodMap/- live flood warning map
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
Interesting video link –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/cities-on-flood-plains/11960.html
Flooding on the River Tay –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/river-tay-floods-in-1993/4309.html
Is flooding happening more often?
The simple answer is yes but the cause is more difficult to ascertain. From the 1960s to the 1990s, big floods were pretty rare in the UK. However, serious floods now seem to be
happening more often, as the table shows below: