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Post on 09-Jul-2018
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Hi, I’m Jaffy Duck and I’m your tour guide around
the area of Somerset we call ‘The Parrett
Catchment’.
It is called the Parrett Catchment because the
river Parrett and it’s tributaries flow through
it.
This photo was taken from Burrowbridge village. The road you can see is the A361 and is the main road through the village.
The winter floods back in 2000 caused the road to close. This left the people in the village completely cut off from Taunton and the motorway.
People were unable to get to hospital, work, school or the supermarket.
This photo was taken from an aeroplane above Burrowbridge during the winter floods of 2000.
As you can see, lots of farmland is completely covered in water. This water destroyed crops and forced animals to move to higher land for their food and survival.
Here I am on Burrow Mump, and the year is 1986.
All of Southlake Moor in front of me is flooded and the freezing cold weather has iced over the water.
…so I’m off to join those people down there for a skate on the ice!
The next destination on
our tour is North Curry and Knapp, as shown on the
map above.
North Curry & Knapp
The heavy rains in 2000 caused the river to overflow and not only flood fields but
buildings too – like this farm barn in Knapp.
The damage to farming equipment and property
was expensive and cost the owners and their insurance companies lots of money to
replace and mend everything.
This was the view from North Curry Church
during the floods in 2000.
It looks like the church is by the sea doesn’t it?
…but remember where North Curry is on the
map..you should really be looking at green fields in the distance, not water!
No, this is not a canal boat… it is a house and somebody’s home!
The water is so high that it is also inside the house. All the carpets,
furniture and electrical sockets are covered by dirty water from the
river.
Imagine if this house was your home…
What could you do to ensure that your home is safe from flood?
We’ve looked at how floods affect
the villages on the levels…but
floods also happen in large towns too. So
our next stop on the tour is Taunton.
Taunton
That building behind me is a large supermarket right in the centre of Taunton. Thousands of people use this supermarket every week for
essential food and supplies.
The river is so full and high that it is dangerously close to flooding the
supermarket.
You may recognise this view…it is the bridge in the centre of Taunton.
Look at how high the water level is!… any more heavy rain will make this river burst it’s
banks…
…then I will be able to swim inside all those shops and offices behind me.
And look at all those people on the bridge!…
…if this river does overflow, there will be a lot of people trying to swim with me!
…so all this water runs off the land into
the river
How floods happen…
Now we’ve seen what floods can
do,let’s have a look at the different
things that cause floods to happen…
Buildings and roads stop water soaking
into the ground
…and the river can’t cope and
it bursts its banks.
Hard soils stop water soaking into the ground
Few trees to soak up rainfall
Lots and lots of rain
How to stop the floods happening
• Build ponds near houses and roads to store water
• Build large ponds on farms to store water
• Build high banks by the river
• Plant more trees
• Educate and raise awareness of flooding
River Festival
• Work with farmers to help the soil soak up more water
Here are some pictures by
children from Somerset, about what they think about flooding
What do you think about flooding?
What can you do about flooding?
If your school wasn’t there the ground would be able to soak
up the water.
Instead, rain falls on it’s roof, straight into the gutter and
down the drains…
WHAT A WASTE!
It would be far better to collect the water to stop it from
flowing quickly from the drains into our rivers.
As we have learnt, if the river fills up too quickly, it could
burst it’s banks and cause a flood.
What can you do about flooding?
To collect rain water, your school could install a water
butt, like the one in the picture.
Water butts are large barrels with a tap at the bottom so
that the rain water they have collected can be used for other things like watering the garden
or washing windows or cars.
The water butt can be connected to drain pipes so
they can store the water that runs of a roof when it rains.
A Water Butt
What can you do about flooding?
This is my personal favourite!…
…your school could create a mini-wetland or pond.
If your school has an area where water collects and
the ground gets very muddy and covered in
puddles – this could be a perfect
mini-wetland area.
Ponds and wetlands are great areas to study as they attract all kinds of
wildlife from special plants to insects, worms, frogs,
newts and birds…
…even ducks like me!
What can you do about flooding?
Ponds and wetlands are also very versatile. The plants that live in them help break down any
pollutants that are in the water.
This ability to clean polluted water is very
useful if your school’s pond is near a river or stream.
To make your school pond or mini-wetland even better at helping stop floods, you
could feed it with water from your school’s water
butt.
What can you do about flooding?
Your school could also plant trees as a way to help
stop flooding.
Each tree planted acts as a mini sponge. It also
provides a home to lots of different wildlife such as
birds and insects…
BUT DON’T FORGET!…
YOU CAN DO ALL THIS AT HOME
AS WELL AS AT SCHOOL!
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