Floodline - 0845 988 1188
Autumn 2000 floods
10,000 homes and businesses were flooded last Autumn at 700 locations and 11,000 families were forced to evacuate their homes,
More than 280,000 properties were successfully protected by flood defences which held back the floodwaters,
2.5 million sandbags were deployed to save a further 37,000 properties from flooding,
Rainfall for September to November 2000 was the highest since records began in 1766,
Peak flows on five major rivers - Thames, Trent, Severn, Wharfe, Dee - in October and November 2000 lasting 90 days were the highest for sixty years,
The floods of 2000 arose during a series of exceptional rainfalls that swept across England and Wales over a seven-week period in an intensity not seen in 270 years,
Catchments became waterlogged so that rivers responded rapidly to even modest rainfall. The River Ouse in Yorkshire reached its highest level since 1625, the Dee in Flintshire since 1946 and the Roding in London since 1947. Many of the storms would have been severe enough as isolated events to have caused flooding, but the cumulative effect led to repeated floods in many places and prolonged flooding in others,
The Environment Agency issued 1,437 flood warnings including 190 Severe Flood Warnings,
Scientists confirm evidence of increasing winter season heavy rainfall and river flow extremes in Britain in the last 30 to 40 years, consistent with predictions of human-induced climate change. However it is not yet possible to say whether the Autumn 2000 Floods can be attributed to climate change or natural variability. (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Met Office Study "To What Degree Can the October/November 2000 Flood Events Be Attributed to Climate Change", published August 2001),
Major floods that have only happened before say, every 100 years on average, may now start to happen every 10 or 20 years. The "flood season" may become longer and there will be flooding in places where there has never been any before. (Environment Agency Sustainable Development Unit, June 2001).
Floodline
The Floodline 0845 988 1188 advice line run by the Environment Agency in England and Wales received its millionth caller in September 2001. (Environment Agency Floodline data, National Flood Warning Centre, September 2001),
Last November Floodline was the country's second most used telephone number after 999,
781, 000 calls were made to Floodline during the Autumn 2000 Floods,
When Floodline was launched two years ago (October 1999) it was designed to receive 100,000 calls a year. Now to meet growing public demand, the service went 24 hours from September,
Floodline launches in Scotland on 1 November 2001.
Do you know
Five million people in England and Wales are now at risk from flooding every year,
Two million homes have been built in the natural floodplain of rivers or the coast and are vulnerable to flooding,
Scientists predict that climate change may lead to more frequent flooding in the future,
Property, land and assets to the value of £214 billion are at risk of flooding in England and Wales,
Since 1998, 28 people have died as a direct result of flooding, including children. Thousands have suffered shock, trauma and devastating damage to their homes and possessions,
Many families have still not moved back into their homes following the 2000 floods,
Six inches of fast flowing water will knock you off your feet; four inches of water will ruin your carpet, and two feet of water will float your car.
Related Articles:
- Life After The Flood
- What are the flood warning codes?
- Flood Facts
- Flooding 2001
- Current flood warnings
- Environment Agency - Flooding
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency
