FloodsWhy Flooding Is Still So Difficult to Predict and Prepare for
Given the huge costs to people and property when it floods, it’s a reasonable question to ask why, in one of the richest countries in the world, more cannot be done to prevent flooding. And if not prevent it, to know more precisely when and where it will hit.
Before you read this story, take a minute to stop and look around you. Now imagine your surroundings under two feet of dirty, sewage-filled water. If you’re at home, everything is trashed. Never mind your car, your furniture or washing machine. They will be ruined, but those things can be replaced. Think of your wedding album, soaked and spoiled. The music box your grandmother gave you, full of stinking mud.
That is the reality of being flooded. And sadly, it’s a reality that many people in the U.K.– in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire – have faced in the recent floods. Tragically, floodwater can also be life-threatening.
Given the huge costs to people and property when it floods, it’s a reasonable question to ask why, in one of the richest countries in the world, more cannot be done to prevent flooding. And if not prevent it, to know more precisely when and where it will hit.
As a hydrologist and a flood and hazard forecaster, I spend my life doing just that. And despite the work of some of the brightest scientists, the world’s most advanced supercomputers and the commitment of hardworking people on the ground, floods are just difficult beasts to pin down. And if you’ve ever thought that your home could never be affected, you should know that floods can happen almost anywhere, at any time.
Modelling Chaos
Some of the most wonderful aspects of the U.K.– the changeable weather and spectacular landscape – are also what makes the country so susceptible to flooding. When beautiful river valleys and low-lying plains – as well as cities and urban areas – are inundated with persistent rain, sudden downpours or high tides with storms, flooding can quickly follow. Especially if there is an unexpected fault in the infrastructure designed to hold back water or prevent flooding, as was seen at Whaley Bridge in Yorkshire in August 2019.
