What?
Large
scale flooding across the British Isles.
When?
The
first signs of flooding appeared on the 9th of October when
the River Uck in East Sussex burst its banks. The floods
continued into late November.
Where?
The
floods affected most of Britain. Areas such as York and
Selby were amongst the worst affected in Yorkshire. The
River Ouse caused major problems in York. Hundreds of buildings
were affected by flood water.
Why?
The
floods were caused by a series of deep depressions from
the Atlantic. There are two possible explanations for this.
These depressions are either the result of extreme weather
or the sort of weather associated with global warming.
Computer
models have shown that temperatures are increasing around
the world. The show temperatures in the UK are rising by
1 and possibly 3 degrees over the next 80 years. This means
drier summers and warmer, wetter winters.
So
What?
In
York thousands of sandbags were filled and distributed by
emergency workers toiling round the clock; police, fire,
ambulance and the army helped to evacuate stranded families
from their homes by gang plank or by boat.
Environmentalists
have stated that Britain needs thousands more trees to protect
it from future flooding.
It
is estimated that the damage caused by the floods could
exceed £1 billion.
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