Somerset Level Floods

The Somerset levels are in the South West of England, located on the coastal plain of the Severn Estuary and is characterised by its wetland habitats. During December 2013 to January 2014, the levels flooded because of periods of heavy prolonged rainfall (See figure 1) and coastal flood, which were made worse by it being an already low-lying area of land. The flooding had a range of social impacts on the communities of the Somerset levels, these include; The psychological impacts, the loss of life and property damage, the loss of livelihood for residents and the potential for a spiral of decline.

The psychological impact of the Somerset level flooding is not easily visible or measurable, but will have clear and lasting impacts on local people. …show more content…
A spiral of decline is when a negative action, causes a continuous downwards trend. Many of the for mentioned social impacts could result in a spiral of decline, for example; A reduction in the number of local people in work, would decrease spending in the local area, resulting in the closure of local businesses. Fear of furthering flooding could discourage capital investment into the area, effecting a range of sectors from education, health care and communication technology. This would limit the opportunities for social and economic development for communities on the Somerset levels. Another cause could be that, in the wake of the recent floods building on vulnerable flood plains may be clamped down upon with stricter planning laws, which would reduce the construction of new homes for the residents of the Somerset levels (Thorne, C, 2014). This would disproportionally affect Somerset’s economically disadvantaged citizens as the number of new affordable homes will be reduced. These all contribute to a spiral of decline, which would result in the breakdown of community cohesion and cause physical deterioration in the built and natural environment of the Somerset