Introduction
The summer of 2007 went down in history as the time when floods necessitated the greatest disaster response effort that was not associated with conflict in the history of the United Kingdom (Mckie 2007, para.2). The months of June and July saw the bombardment of areas such as Oxfordshire, South Wales and Berkshire with heavy rains. The high level of anxiety among members of the public was hard to miss as they agonized over destroyed property and the extended impact of the flood. The agencies that were involved in the rescue mission such as the Environmental agency and the government were also concerned over the impact of the calamity on people’s lives in particular and resources in general. The rescue effort was remarkable and a semblance of return to normalcy in the affected areas is evident. In this report, the causes of the flooding and the immediate impact and significant risks of the floods will be examined. Also, the agencies that were involved in the rescue mission and the role they played during the recovery period will be discussed. The report will also explore the environmental management systems in place and the lessons learned from the floods. Recommendations to avoid future flooding or reduce its effects will also be made.
Causes of the Flooding
The simplest answer that can be given when the question of what caused the floods is asked is that heavy rain is responsible. But this is a naïve answer that does not address the bigger issues associated with significant weather and climatic conditions such as flooding. The causes of the flood range from a climatic shift that threatens to throw human life into misery to the nature of the land in which the flooding occurred.
- The nature of the land: As far as the nature of the land is concerned, flooding is common in low lying plains. Places of this kind have poor drainage for rain water since there is no sufficient gradient in the slope to the nearest water body. Therefore the rain water just accumulates in the surface leading to floods. This situation complicates matters if the area in question is under human or animal habitation. The areas that flooded in Sheffield have this type of geographical disposition to a high degree and this is why the flooding would not be escaped. This is however a minor issue as far as flooding is concerned. The larger issue is discussed hereunder.
- Climatic changes: In recent times, most parts of the world are witnessing weather conditions that have not been recorded for a long time. The snow capped mountains around the world are losing their snow caps and ice regions in the north and the south poles are disappearing at rates that are alarming (Houghton 1997, pp.12-14).Other occurrences that are equally a source of concern are rising ocean and sea levels as well as the increase in desert areas in most parts of the world (Mathez 2009, pp.23-25). Long spells of droughts in parts of Africa and the Americas and floods such as the one in Sheffield are all products of these drastic climatic shifts. What is the cause of this climatic shifts or changes? The debate over the possible cause of these climatic changes is still on and there seems to be controversy over the whole issue. There are those who think that the increase in the green house gases that are emitted into the atmosphere have led to an increase in the atmospheric temperature which in turn has led to high levels of precipitation in some places (Philander2000, pp.19-21).The resulting effect of high levels of precipitation is that sea and ocean levels go up. The evidence for rising sea and ocean levels is that islands in most of the oceans and seas are now submerging at high rates. This is evidence that even the most adamant person on the issue of climate change cannot refute.
Also, the increased levels of atmospheric temperature cannot be dismissed given the fact that most mountains around the world have lost their snow caps and the Polar Regions are losing their ice cover at high rates. Is there any other reason as to why ice and snow can melt other than increased temperatures? It is fairly obvious that only increased temperatures can lead to melting of the ice and snow.
How the Green House Gases Lead To Increased Temperatures and How the United Kingdom Is Involved
The controversy over green house gases is still on and the adverse effects of climate change are being witnessed all over the world. But how do these green house gases lead to these bad climatic changes such as an increase in temperature and the subsequent increase in precipitation? Once the green house gases such as carbon dioxide are released in large amounts into the atmosphere, they form a protective blanket that prevents heat from escaping from the atmosphere. This leads to a green house effect whereby the nether regions of the earth’s surface become a huge green house. The increased temperatures lead to high rates of evaporation from the earth’s surface and the next phenomenon is that clouds are formed and a huge amount of rain is received. Given that the rain is usually more than the routine amount, flooding is something that cannot be avoided. How can this lead to desertification?
From the green house effect, if there are strong winds blowing after the clouds have been formed; the precipitation that would have been received close to the area where the heavy evaporation took place is received in another place due to the pushing of the water vapor of the rain clouds by the strong winds to another location. If the strong winds blow repeatedly over this place for five to six times, no more moisture will be available due to continued evaporation without precipitation. The resulting effect is desertification whereby the vegetation cover of the pace will die and the soil in the place will dry up. The water bodies present will also dry and the human, animal and plant lives in the area will definitely be in jeopardy. This is what is being witnessed in some parts of the world and if recent reports are anything to go by, the conditions are likely to get worse.
The United Kingdom is an industrialized nation. This means that the amount of green house gases that it emits into the air is high enough to be a source of worry. The effort to cut down the emission should be a priority if climatic shifts that are disastrous are to be avoided.
The Impact of the Sheffield Flooding
The flooding had adverse effects on property; human life and plant life in the areas that were affected. There were immediate effects as well as risks that came with the flooding.
Immediate Effects
Displacement of people: This was a big problem that came with the floods. Since a number of regions were affected by the water, people had to look for alternative places of residence for the period that the floods affected the place. Therefore their normal lives were interrupted and their routines disrupted (Wainwright 2007, para.1).
Loss of life/Deaths: There are people who lost their lives in the floods by being swept away by the flood waters or being crushed by collapsing structures as a result of the flood waters and the heavy rainfall.
Destruction of property: People’s possessions were destroyed. These were in form of houses, crops and even livestock.
Disruption of transport and communication: The floods affected nearly all means of communication. Roads and rails were impassable and bridges were destroyed (Bannerman 2007, para.5). Transmission of waves was equally affected and this meant that radio and television communication occurred with great difficulty.
Disruption of the economy: At an immediate level, the economy of the people who were directly affected by the flood was affected. This is because they would not attend to their businesses and other economic activities such as farming. This in turn led to an effect on the economy of the country as everything was being done to ensure that the lives of the affected people were safe. Instead of these resources being directed to other areas, they were directed to the emergence that came with the flooding (Savill 2007, para.1).
Significant Risks
As a result of the floods, the residents of the areas that were directly hit by the floods were at risk of becoming victims of diseases that come with flooding. For example it is not uncommon to find the numbers of mosquitoes rising as the floods subside. This puts the people at risk of being affected by malaria as a result of mosquito bites. Other health hazards associated with floods that the people of Sheffield were at risk of are waterborne diseases. This is due to the fact that the floods affected the supply of clean water to the people of Sheffield.
Other risks include the economic lag for the affected people given that they had to take a long time to settle down and try to put their lives together.
Agencies Involved In the Floods and the Role They Played During Recovery
A number of agencies played a role in handling the floods and its aftermath. These organizations include the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency (NIEA),the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA),the Environmental Agency for England and Wales among others (Booth 2007,para.1).These organizations played a key role in assisting the residents to move from the danger zones to safety and later on helped the people deal with the environmental issues associated with the flood such as adoption of safe housing policies and handling the flood waters (Peck & Malkin2007,para.4).These organizations had different levels of success and this is understandable given that they are endowed with different resource levels.
The Effectiveness of Environmental Systems in Place
The environmental management systems that are in place are not totally effective. But this is not to say that they are not doing their job. The government has put in place a number of agencies such as the Environmental Agency to deal with matters pertaining to the environment. These agencies are supposed to ensure that industrial waste is not released to rivers without being treated to make them harmless. They are also supposed to ensure that people are not exposed to danger as a result of the nature of the environment in which they live.
At the time of the crisis, these agencies were swift in their response. They assisted in the evacuation process and the proper handling of the affected residents. The follow up effort in handling the aftermath was equally commendable. There were however concerns from some quarters over unsatisfactory service. The reality is that service can never be one hundred percent perfect.
The fact that the flooding occurred means that the green house gases that are responsible for increased rainfall are being discharged to the air. Therefore the effectiveness of these agencies also gets marred by this occurrence.
Lessons Learnt From the Flooding
The floods were a source of a number of lessons for all the players in environmental issues. For the government, it was a lesson of being prepared always for emergencies (Archer 2006, pp.94-95).It was also a wakeup call to the reality of climate change, and the need to take action. Reduction of the emission of green house gases is of particular importance here. For the agencies that participated in the rescue as well as the citizens who were affected, it was a lesson that they should be ready for anything. They also learnt that the environmental issues being raised are not part of science fiction but real life issues that can be life threatening. The significance of this is that everyone has a part to play in saving the planet.
Conclusion
The 2007 Sheffield flooding was a lesson for the government and the people of the United Kingdom that they not only need to be prepared for emergencies but also that they need to take action so as to avoid negative human influence on the climate.
Recommendations
I recommend that the issue of green house gases be investigated further to ascertain the extent to which it is affecting the climatic conditions of the world. The role the United Kingdom is playing in the emissions as well as the role in can play in reducing the emissions needs to be substantiated followed by the appropriate action by all those involved. I also recommend that citizens be given lessons on how to deal with emergencies such as floods and fire so as to avoid any loss of life in the event that such phenomena befall them.
References
- Archer, D., 2006.Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast (1st ed.).New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Bannerman, L., 2007. Flash floods and torrents of rain hit first exodus of summer. Times Online, [internet]
- Booth, J., 2007.Thousands cut off in Britain’s worst floods. Times Online.[Internet]
- Houghton, J., 1997.Global Warming: The Complete Briefing (2nd ed.).New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Mathez, E., 2009.Climate Change: The Science of Global Warming and Our Energy Future (1st ed.).New York: Columbia University Press.
- Mckie, R., 2007.Rescue mission for a nation under water. The Observer, [internet] Web.
- Peck,S & Malkin,B.,2007. Floods recede but danger not over.Telegraph.co.uk,[Internet]
- Philander, S., 2000. Is the Temperature Rising? The Uncertain Science of Global Warming. New York: Princeton University Press
- Savill, R., 2007.Benn pledges £200m flood defense increase. Telegraph.co.uk, [Internet] Web.
- Wainwright, M., 2007.Hull pleads for aid after floods leave one in five homes damaged. Observer, [Internet] Web.