Social Impacts Of The Somerset Flood

After the flood some long term social impacts include 1,400 homes affected by a loss of power, repairs to power lines were hampered by flood water. 1,300 homes in Wales were also without power showing how the flood event affected a large scale area. Debris including fallen trees and contaminated flood water imposed a health risk on the local people. The A465 (Heads of the Valley Road) was closed at the Hirwaun roundabout after a number of vehicles collided with a fallen tree. Health impacts also include the heavy rain and wind reaching up to 60-70 mph posing a hazard to the South West of the UK. These points show that social wellbeing for the population of the Somerset Levels was low. According to the Dictionary of Human Geography ‘social well being is the degree to which a population’s needs and wants are being met’. The people of Somerset have suffered a …show more content…
Social impacts I have referred to include: the affect of a loss of buildings leading to homelessness for local people, the loss of farmers livelihood due to loss of productive farmland, the loss of power and transport services and finally the health risk of the flood imposed on the local people. In my opinion the most significant social impact of the Somerset Floods in 2013/14 was the social impact on the farmers. The loss of productive pastoral farmland due to floodwater will affect farmers ability to earn a living and therefore their social wellbeing will fall. If will mean a loss of income to feed families and a loss of disposable income to spend on other goods and services. The social impact for the farmers could affect Somerset Levels on a larger scale as it could lead to a loss of local tax revenue which will be vital for government spending in order to rebuild and repair damage in the