The Effects of Floods Essay
Flooding can have a large effect on MEDC's therefore it is in there interests to prevent floods from happening in the first place. There are a number of methods that can be used to manage river water.
The first of these is a reservoir, these can be built on the upper part of a river and help to store the water where it can be let out at a steady rate and even used to generate hydro electric power. This not only helps to reduce the risk of flooding but also helps to promote alternative energy sources.
The first of these is a reservoir, these can be built on the upper part of a river and help to store the water where it can be let out at a steady rate and even used to generate hydro electric power. This not only helps to reduce the risk of flooding but also helps to promote alternative energy sources.
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Engineering to make the channel of the river larger, deeper and wider can also help it to hold more water before it over flows. This can only be useful if there is space to extend the river channel.
However a flood relief channel could also be built. These are artificial channels that can be built to take away surplus water and prevent flooding. The course of the river can also be changed so that it is made straighter. This allows the river to be free from obstructions and to flow faster and thus clear water away more quickly. A flood barrage can also be built across a river to protect a community from floods. This has happened on the River Thames in London however it is expensive to do so it is not a popular option. A cheaper method of planting vegetation around the river channel to reduce the amount of run off and to also prevent soil erosion. This method was successfully used at the source of the river Calder in Calderdale. Trees were planted around the source of the Calder and around the banks. This helped to reduce the amount of water running into the river during heavy rain. The reduction of the effects of flooding can also be reduced by limiting the amount of buildings that are constructed on flood plains.
However if flood defenses do fail and a flood does occur then a number of things can be done to reduce to effect that it has on the community. Public fund relief can be collected. For example after the Lynmouth flood - 1,300,000 had been collected by the summer of 1953. Flood insurance is also taken out by many people who live in an area that is at in a high risk of flooding. This insures that if there property or belongings are harmed by flood waters then compensation can be paid. Forecasting floods has also become increasingly easy. This means that the environment agency can give prior warning to residents in the area allowing them to place sand bags etc around doors and openings to reduce the effects of the flood water. Also in some cases allow them to be evacuated safely before the flood waters are too high. In many areas that have a high risk of flooding an emergency procedure is put in place so that every one is aware of what to do in the case of a flood and therefore no ones life is put in danger.
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