Calder Valley Floods

Calder Valley Floods

1. Causes

   • Physical
     • Mud and leaves blocked drains forcing rainwater to stay at the surface
     • 10cm of rain fell within a 24 hour period - this equals the normal rainfall for the whole of November
       • Due to the amount of heavy rain already in December plus the 10cm in 24 hours the ground was saturated and unable to drain anymore from the surface
     • The rainwater was funnelled down the steep sides of the valley into Hebden Bridge
   • Human
     • Drains had not been cleared of mud, leaves and rubbish
     • Urbanisation of towns and villages meant surfaces are mainly concrete and tarmac rather than the original soil which would have allowed water to drain through.
       • Deforestation around Todmorden due to urbanisation meant that the rainwater reached the bottom of the valley much faster causing rivers to overflow

2. Effects

   • Social
     • Schools in the local area were damaged and students were transferred to other schools or had to use temporary cabins
     • Their was an immediate risk to life for those people located in the valley bottom
       • Emergency Services were called to rescue people who had attempted to drive through flood water from their cars by boat
     • Roads were closed for a long time after the flood due to the collapse of structures such as Elland Bridge
     • Due to job losses, homelessness and the fear that the flood would happen again many people suffered long term effects on their mental health
   • Economic
     • Businesses were forced to close meaning they lost money along with the cost of repairing the damage
       • People lost their jobs and income
         • People lost their homes due to a loss of earnings or due to damage to their homes
     • The estimated cost of the damage was £150 million
   • Environmental
     • The water stretched up to 30 square miles
     • Animals who lived near the river would be swept away or lost their shelter
     • Established structures such as Elland Bridge were destroyed

3. Management

   • Future
     • The trees planted will help to slow the rainwater
     • The river channel widening, wall height increasing and drainage improvements will all help to reduce the amount of water that has nowhere to go. The rivers can hold more water before overflowing and the drainage system should be able to carry the water away from the towns.
     • I think that the Calder Valley will be better prepared for the increased rainfall if it was to happen again. They have already got community groups in place, the fire service has training and they have the use of the flood siren to warn people.
   • The Environment Agency produced a flood plan to help minimise the risk of a flood on this scale from happening again.
   • The Fire Service have since received updated flood rescue training
   • The old WW2 Air Raid Siren is now used to alert the Calder Valley of risk of flooding
   • Millions of pounds has been invested into flood defence mechanisms across the Valley
     • Higher walls around the river
     • Relocation of Caldene Bridge
     • Waterproofing of buildings nearest to the river
     • Widening of the river channels
     • Improvement to existing drainage systems
   • Community Groups were set up to help share out food, water, essential supplies and support.
     • They provided sandbags to help stop more water at the door
     • They have continued to provide support around housing, employment, business advice and mental health support
     • One group has planted 50 thousand trees along the sides of the Calder Valley to help slow down the flow of rainwater

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