The Contributory Factors Causing the Floods - Case Study Example

Writing Environmental Management Customer’s Name Customer’s Grade Course Customer tutor’s Name 10th July, 2010 Outline In June 2007 Sheffield experienced two spells of exceptionally heavy rainfall. This resulted in unprecedented events in the City and the evacuation of a number of properties and people. It caused significant financial losses and damage to the environment. Using these events as a basis of a case study, this paper presents a compiled report that covers: The contributory factors causing the floods, the immediate impact and significant risks caused by the flooding, identifying the agencies involved and outlines their response and role during the event including the recovery phase, Evaluating the effectiveness of environmental management systems in place at the time, and the lessons learnt and recommendations to prevent future flooding or mitigate its effects on the environment. Introduction On June of 2007, Sheffield experienced two spells of exceptionally heavy rainfall which proved to be very devastating for the area. This was so due to the fact that the occurrence resulted in an unprecedented event in the City and the evacuation of a number of properties and people. Due to this kind of attack on Sheffield city, the heavy downpour caused a significant financial loss and damage to the environment. Such kind of natural disaster should be properly managed so that the downpour might not in the least end up causing financial losses and destruction of the environment (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 3). The environment is very vital for any form of creation due to the fact that it gives human and all other creatures the power to posterity and as well brings the necessary foodstuffs and as well making life healthy. This is a report which provides information on the kind of downpour which took place in June 2007 in Sheffield, and this will be presented according to the factors which led to the floods at Sheffield, the immediate impacts and risks which were caused by the flooding, the major agencies in recovery and rescue phases in the city, and the evaluation on the effectiveness of the environmental management systems which had been put in place prior to the time of the floods. The Contributory Factors Causing the Floods On June 25th 2007, there was the heaviest flooding that occurred in the England city within a period of over a hundred and fifty years. As reports have been indicating, this day for people of Sheffield, which is a English city in the north had been started in the very usual manner, very rainy and wet, and as well the weather forecasts had predicted a wet day in June and also giving warnings of a possible flooding for the areas in the Northern parts of England (Powner, 2001, p, 34). However, it should be agreed that all the ‘Sheffielders’ felt extremely safe with this stern knowledge and understanding that their city lying on a hilly area would never be prone to something like flooding. Basically, the first acknowledgeable contributing factor to this flooding was a weather and climatic change which must have been due to the processes of global warming which have been on development over the past years (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 12). The other factor was the terrain in which there is a hilly area and with a river by the name Don which runs all through into the heart of this city. As the raining progressed during this month, the levels of the river increaseed steadily and in the very end there had been an increasingly raging torrent in it, but the people of the city had not been shaken due to the fact that they had been seeing such torrents in the river without any consequences. The people within the closer premises discussed and argued that they had been seeing such an occurrence many years before and this was not the time to be shaken by the flooding. It had been suggested during this time that river Don was going to possibly burst all its banks. This had sounded as a joke to the people and thus they did not see any reason to take such threats seriously, after all for so long they had been here and no banks had ever burst (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 23). Finally, poor drainage which had never been taken seriously during the planning of this city was a contributing factor and the reason why the flooding took place. Drainage is very critical because it determines the movement of water and how outlets terminals have been built. For any given setting for human living, there should be the adequate drainage patterns and channels which effectively eject water and ensure residential areas have not been flooded (Powner, 2001, p, 35). The Immediate Impact and Significant Risks Caused by the Flooding It should be well known that any kind of flooding will definitely result in a major impact which should be addressed within the shortest possible time and ensure that all the people have been made safe and free from any sort of harm. Following the floods at Sheffield in June 2007, there were very many impacts which had been caused by the flood, and this ranged from destruction of material assets and property, destruction of the environment, and as well posing danger on the lives of Sheffield residences who had been caught unawares by the flooding. Following the flooding, the first impact was with the interference with transport since all areas had been flooded after the banks of Don River had burst. This led to increased water levels in the streets, deeper into residential building (Powner, 2001, p. 34). All of a sudden vehicles became submerged in water, and the heavy downpour still continued into the afternoon of 25 June without any possibilities of receding. During this time, people began to become worried on the new turn the downpour had decided to take as more and more building started to get submerged in water. Sewage and drainage tunnels began to burst and this would have several consequences on issues to do with health of the city, and hence an immediate piece of intervention was needed without fail, and within the shortest possible time (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 17). With the intensity in which the flooding had been taking place, there was the possibility of having the aged and children having their lives threatened. It was reported after the rescue operations following the flooding that two people had died with a small boy of thirteen years reported to have gone missing after being swept away by the flooding water. Following the flooding, people died and a number of several others seriously injured. Later, a number of hundreds of people had been left homeless, and such had been the dreadful impact which had been caused by the flooding. As well, there was continued damage on the environment as buildings were destroyed, and the scenery greatly disfigured (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 34). The environment had been left ugly since trees had been uprooted and grass had been washed away. Soil erosion had massively taken place, and such had been due to the fact the river had burst its banks (Nolan, 1998, p. 34). Another important impact which had been noted following this flooding was that infrastructure had been damaged and property as well as the residential houses. This could have been translated to very huge financial losses, and which would require rebuilding and as well ensuring that there had been proper drainage so as to prevent any future damage should any flooding take place again. Also, there were very many significant risks which had been presented by this kind of flooding (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 37). To begin with, the first one was in the possibility of deaths as people would be washed away when attempting any kind of movement within the area. As well, buildings had been submerged in water and hence they would very easily be washed away, and thus causing another risk as well. Electricity posts started to fall and this would also create significant risks and most probably harming people’s lives and resulting to deaths on many individuals. Basically, this rain and following floods had threatened the surrounding environment and thus making it very unsafe for human survival. With such kind of dangers and risks which had been subjected to the people in Sheffield, there was this great need of making sure all the future involvements would come up with ways and measures which would be adopted in addressing flooding and ensuring that people’s lives had not been compromised by floods (Nolan, 1998, p. 48). As well, there was the great need of ensuring that the water had been adequately drained and by so doing having sanity back at Sheffield city and making sure no one had been left in any form of danger due to the floods (Powner, 2001, p. 34). The Agencies Involved and their Responses and Recovery Phase Following the flooding, there was the need to have a number of organizations and agencies involved in this mission and ensuring that rescue operations had been done in the right manner and also make sure all people had been left safe once again. The first agencies to be involved in the rescue operations were the police, and they did come with helicopters in rescuing individuals who had been stuck in buildings. The RAF helicopters had thus been engaged in the rescuing operations since the places would not be easily accessed through the use of road transportation. At the same time, the police had been involved in sudden monitoring of the disaster by looking at the building which had collapsed and delivering the necessary information towards the rescue missions which were to be undertaken (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 47). South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was the other agency which had been involved in fighting the floods and also making sure that the incidents which might have occurred due to the floods would have been dealt with. The service had thus been in coming up with ways of draining the water and by so doing making sure no people had been harmed and as well ensuring that the people had been left safe and unharmed following the floods. The Fire Service agency is thus known to have played a very critical role following this flooding disaster which hit Sheffield city. Emergency Service from Yorkshire had also been another rescue agency which had been involved in the operations in the northern parts of the city. The role of this agency had been very critical in that it had been able to rescue very many people from the submerged building and the flooded terrains. After the successful evacuation and search of the ones who had been harmed and whose life had been inconvenienced by the floods, the next thing was in coming up with recovery phase in which new planning would be done and ensures that a future occurrence would be dealt with accordingly and as well be prevented from happening (Nolan, 1998, p. 51). The Sheffield’s County would come up with contractors in ensuring that there was proper planning and make sure that the place had been properly engineered in terms of drainage apt terns and prevent future flooding. All houses had also been renovated and also water had been channeled for drainage (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 58). Basically, appropriate intervention and recalling of all possible agencies is necessary in providing solutions when a disaster like this one takes place and ensuring that all the people have been left safe and totally secure from any natural threat. Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Environmental Management Systems Prior to the occurrence of this disaster, there had been the adoption of a number of environmental management systems which had been put in place during the time at Sheffield City. Such included the employment of drainage experts who always made sure that al rainy water would be able to meet their drainage flows and hence preventing any kind of drainage. As well, there had been the adoption of weather signal systems which had as well warned of a possible flooding in the northern city of England only that many had not taken the warn much serious. As well, there had been agencies which had been checking on the integrity of the drainage in general, but they had never in the least been prepared for such flooding with a similar intensity and the reason it had been very damaging for this city. Just because the place had been flooded by the storm shall not be used as a reference point of arguing that the floods had taken place due to negligence or due to any kind of failure with the Environmental Management Systems (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 63). This is so because very many parts of the country had faced similar floods, and thus the only solutions which would be permanent and long lasting would begin with having appropriate means of managing our environment and by so doing ensuring that there was control of any engagements which have been compromising the integrity of the climate and weather patterns (Nolan, 1998, p. 56). Conclusion: The Lessons Learnt and Recommendations Flowing this flooding, the management of disasters within the city of Sheffield had to take a different dimension and ensure there was the realization of better practices which would prevent any kind of damages from such floods. The first recommendation from the learned lesson was in ensuring that a proper drainage had been adopted for the city and ensure that the river and other channels would be able to efficiently drain any excessive water in the event of floods (Fire Service Inspectorate, 2007, p. 71). Also, there was the need of coming with Disaster Management Service whose duties would be in offering quick response when similar disasters had taken place. This would help in mitigating the effects of flooding and also prevent any form of damage on the environment. The Command Response System would also be designed in ensuring that all agencies would be effectively contacted following any kind of natural disasters and provide the best tools for the rescue operations and do this within the shortest time possible. Bibliography Fire Service Inspectorate (Great Britain, 2007), Fire and Rescue Service Manual (vol. 2), Fire Service Operations Publication, London. Nolan, D 1998, Floods control and Pumping systems at industrial facilities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Powner, J 2001, Provincial fire-fighting in England, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Read More