What were the effects of the Cumbria floods 2009?

What were the effects of the Cumbria floods 2009?

According to Cumbria County Council, the county’s tourism businesses lost an estimated £2.5m due to the floods. A survey by Cumbria Tourism found that 72% of tourist businesses across the county suffered some negative impact because of the floods and 6% of tourist business closed down completely.

What percentage of businesses were flooded in the Cockermouth floods in 2009?

The Cumbria Intelligence Observatory (2010) stated that 80% of businesses in Cockermouth were affected by flooding. Cockermouth was the worst affected area in Cumbria, where flood depths in excess of 1.5 m were reported (Environment Agency, 2009c).

How many people died due to the Cockermouth floods of 2009?

Again, it was the sheer scale of the event rather than poor design or construction that was largely responsible for this. The flood had a big impact on the local community. In addition to the death of the policeman, the floods directly affected over 1300 people.

Why did Cockermouth get so badly flooded?

Physical causes The warm air from the mid-Atlantic caused relief rainfall over the Cumbrian Mountains. The warmer the air, the more moisture it holds. The falling rain poured into the River Derwent and River Cocker. The two rivers confluence at Cockermouth, which led to significant flooding.

What year did Cockermouth flood?

2009
On the afternoon of November 19 2009 both the Rivers Derwent and Cocker swept through thousands of homes and businesses in the town centre of Cockermouth.

How has Banbury been affected by flooding?

Banbury has suffered persistent damage from flooding due to the incapacity of the River Cherwell to convey excess surface run- off. The Environment Agency’s design concept proposed that flow control structures should throttle the river flows to 38m3/s and impound the additional floodwater in the reservoir.

How many times has Cockermouth flooded?

Cockermouth is highly prone to flooding with 15 flood events recorded since detailed records began in 1761. The town, at the confluence of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent, is prone to flooding due to the natural topography of the area. Flooding occurred most recently in 2005, 2008 and 2009.

How much rainfall fell in 24 hours which led to the Cumbrian floods?

In December 2015, Storm Desmond set a new record, with 341.4 millimetres of rain falling over a 24-hour period. This led to the flooding of Cumbria and in particular, the town of Cockermouth – despite the construction of a self-closing flood barrier in 2013.

When did Cockermouth last flood?

November 19 2009
Cockermouth Flooding November 19 2009/then 2015! On the afternoon of November 19 2009 both the Rivers Derwent and Cocker swept through thousands of homes and businesses in the town centre of Cockermouth.

What caused the Cockermouth flood 2009?

Causes. The warm air from the mid-Atlantic caused relief rainfall over the Cumbrian Mountains. The falling rain poured into the River Derwent and River Cocker. Cockermouth is located at the rivers’ confluence and as a result, suffered significant flooding.

What were the impacts of the Cumbria floods?

In 2015, more than 50,000 homes in Cumbria were flooded or had severe impacts from flooding. While the loss of life was relatively small, the damage to local people is still being felt in many areas. Similarly, floods in 2009 left thousands of people displaced from their homes, which took years to be resolved.

How did Banbury reduce flooding?

This is achieved by storing part of each severe flood in the flood storage reservoir – which is located upstream of Banbury, largely within the natural floodplain of the River Cherwell – limiting flows passed downriver to an amount that does not cause unacceptable flooding in the town.

When did the Cockermouth flood happen in 2009?

Following an extreme rainfall event on 19 November 2009, flooding was widespread throughout the county of Cumbria. In Cockermouth, a torrent of water some 2.5 m high cascaded down the main road, flooding and severely damaging shops, offices and homes.

Where are the flood barriers in Cockermouth Cumbria?

The £4.4m scheme has been put in place in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, where the automatic barriers aim to prevent a repeat of the floods in 2009, when a month’s rain fell in 24 hours, destroying 900 homes and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate.

Where was the worst flood in Cumbria in 2009?

In November 2009 an entire town and community in Cumbria was left devastated. Unprecedented rainfall caused rivers and streams to spill into hundreds of homes and businesses. The town was one of the worst flood-hit areas in the county with an estimated 900 properties…

What was the population of Cockermouth in 1999?

Cockermouth is 40km from the coastal town of Morecombe and it has a population of 7,877. Cockermouth had previously been flooded in 1999 and again in 2005. On 19th November 2009 Seathwaite (Central Lake District) received 316mm of rainfall, the highest amount ever recorded in the UK for a single day.