58722732

Analyze, Case

During the wet season of March the Sussex the Uck-Ouse basin rush it banks and caused major water damage in the adjacent towns largely a small city called Uckfield.

Upstream of the town of Uckfield inclines are very high and so runoff happens very quickly after rain fall. However the River Uck avalanche plain is actually undeveloped, with natural overflow plains leftover.

Here land management procedures are well designed to water damage.

The surging in the central part of the Ouse catchments upon Thursday twelfth October 2k was preceded by several days of thunder storms and hefty rain over the whole area. The ground started to be increasingly waterlogged, and there were widespread, localised flooding coming from surface normal water run-off. Uckfield flooded dramatically from about 5. 00am on the twelfth October, with river amounts rising swiftly to a peak between 9. 00am and 10. 00am, at which point a torrent of water about 1 . 9m deep, was flowing throughout the town centre causing substantial damage.

Barcombe and Lewes filled up and widespread surging in Lewes started around 1 . 00pm, as the rising water backed up behind the Cliffe Bridge and overtopped the flood defences at many locations. Within just about an hour possibly even the flood defences through the town were completely overcome and the city centre speedily filled with floodwater. Many numerous people were stranded and had to be rescued by the Emergency Solutions in motorboats. By the time the floodwaters peaked at about being unfaithful. 30pm, some parts of Lewes were lower than 3. 6m of drinking water.

As the flows completing downstream from Barcombe continued to increase by a rapid charge, the floodwaters weired over the river wall surfaces and surged through the roadways and wide open areas in Lewes, speedily filling up parts of the metropolitan floodplain to a depth of 1m in about half an hour. The Police forgotten the center of area, and the evacuation turned into a rescue operation as the RNLI and Emergency Solutions used water lifeboats to reach people abruptly trapped in their homes or perhaps businesses.

The flood devastated the companies of Uckfield and Lewes, as well as leading to significant damage to surrounding country properties and the farming community.

* long periods of drying out and restore mean that many homes have got remained uninhabitable for many several weeks after the event, with residents having to are in alternative, short-term accommodation

2. similarly, many businesses remain shut down months following your flood, and a small amount are believed to obtain closed completely

* a long term loss of transact, both to get the inundated businesses, and then for the larger business community

* popular concerns regarding property beliefs and insurance

* loss of agricultural crops and livestock

5. impact on County Council Sociable Services dotacion due to the decrease of day organisations and chartering

* permanent damage to street surfaces, and widespread obstruction of freeways drainage systems

* effect on Lewes District Council’s real estate provision as a result of temporary re-accommodation of overflow victims

2. disruption for the Fire Escouade and Ambulance Service because of the temporary loss in several of their very own buildings, including their control centres, and loss of cars

* in Lewes, 118 Listed Complexes and 230 other , traditional’ properties within the Conservation Area were damaged, demanding specialist repair

* permanent needs pertaining to emotional support amongst a lot of.

This means that the upper and central sections of the catchments turn into quickly saturated following heavy rainfall. During wet intervals a large proportion of the rainfall will quickly run-off into the river program rather than drain through the earth, and this result is amplified by the hilly nature from the upper areas of the catchment.

* elevating the amount and rate of surface drinking water run-off, thereby increasing goes

* lowering the area readily available for flood storage space, thereby increasing peak levels

* minimizing the area available for flood circulation conveyance, thus increasing peak levels, leading to rapid inundation and high flood velocities, and extending the period of flooding.

* Water flows were increasing incredibly rapidly at this time and continued to do so for a few hours following your flood defences were overtopped.

* The upstream flood storage areas had been already , full’ in order that the majority of the flood moves passed straight downstream to Lewes with little attenuation.

* Once overtopped, the flood defences acted like weirs enabling large amounts of normal water to pass over them in a short space of time, quickly filling the low lying areas behind them, with high velocities being experienced where flows were directed through filter gaps.

5. The normal narrowing flood plain mainly because it approaches Lewes, together with the artificial obstructions throughout its way in Lewes (Phoenix Causeway, Mayhew Approach, Cliffe High Street shops) greatly reduces the ability of the ton plain through Lewes to convey flood seas, causing levels to rise larger still.

*It is an evident point, but on the other hand worth saying, that the twelfth October 2k flood overwhelmed the floodplain , so named for the good reason. The devastating effect of the ton was since large numbers of homes have over the years been constructed on the floodplain, and though artificial ton defences or river improvement works possess protected all those properties via more repeated flooding occasions, all property constructed for the flood plain is at likelihood of flooding sometimes. The Environment Agency’s Flood Caution slogan of “You are unable to prevent water damage, you can only prepare for it”.

The existing overflow defences had been overwhelmed by the 12th Oct 2000 flood flows and it may be likely to warrant future improvements to raise the present standards of defence to protect against an event of similar size. A number of alternatives are likely to be regarded as in the future Catchment Approach Plan becoming commissioned by Environment Firm. However , provided the extreme severity of 12th October 2k event, plus the nature of the long-standing govt rules and arrangements for project appraisal and ton defence financing, we do not think that it is sensible to assume that they should already have been of this standard.

Nevertheless we believe that there are a number of crucial issues concerning the existing flood defences in Lewes which usually need to be urgently addressed, especially the obviously poor current condition of many of the riv walls throughout the town, as well as the long term negotiation in the upstream flood embankments. The floodwalls were breached or broken in by least 8 locations throughout the town, as well as the sudden failing

of the lake wall at Phoenix Commercial Estate is particularly worrying. The flooding got many residents by surprise, in fact it is clear the Environment Organization and a tremendous number of damaged residents have got very different perceptions about the performance with the flood warning system. This is partly an issue of conversation and education. We believe it is important that the surroundings Agency vigorously continues its efforts to teach local occupants, and that it really is explicit regarding its actual obligations and features.

With the good thing about hindsight, we all also believe that a number of important improvements inside the flood caution and predicting service can be identified, and really should be taken on. These may not have had any impact on the extent, speed or interesting depth of the actual flooding, nonetheless they may have meant that for most, vehicles, stock, or important personal property might have been preserved.