boscastle case study sheet

Case Study – Boscastle Floods

Floods devastate village.

On 16 August 2004, a devastating flood swept through the small Cornish village of Boscastle.

Very heavy rain fell in storms close to the village, causing two rivers to burst their banks. About two billion litres of water then rushed down the valley straight into Boscastle.

Residents had little time to react. Cars were swept out to sea, buildings were badly damaged and people had to act quickly to survive. Fortunately, nobody died – thanks largely to a huge rescue operation involving helicopters — but there was millions of pounds worth of damage.

Physical Impacts

Responses to the flooding, what happened to cause this event.

Flooding On the day of the flood, about 75mm of rain fell in two hours — the same amount that normally falls in the whole of August. Huge amounts of water from this sudden downpour flowed into two rivers, the Valency and Jordan (which flows into the Valency just above Boscastle). Both overflowed, and this caused a sudden rush of water to speed down the Valency — which runs through the middle of Boscastle.

Destruction of houses, businesses and gardens Floodwater gushed into houses, shops and pubs. Cars, walls and even bridges were washed away. The church was filled with six feet of mud and water. Trees were uprooted and swept into peoples’ gardens. The weight of water eroded river banks, damaged gardens and pavements.

Human Impacts There was a huge financial cost to the floods. This included:

• the rescue operation – involving helicopters, lifeboats, and the fire service.
• the loss of 50 cars
• damage to homes, businesses and land
• a loss of tourism, a major source of income for the area

The flooding also had several other key impacts on Boscastle and its inhabitants. These included:

• environmental damage to local wildlife habitats
• coastal pollution caused as debris and fuel from cars flowed out to sea.
• long-term disruption to the village, as a major rebuild project had to be carried out.
• long-term stress and anxiety to people traumatised by the incident.
• John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Prince Charles visited members of the emergency services and the local GP surgery, which acted as the emergency centre, in the days following the disaster.
• Prince Charles, who is the Duke of Cornwall, made a large donation to a fund to help rebuild parts of Boscastle.
• The Environment Agency is responsible for warning people about floods and reducing the likelihood of future floods. The Environment Agency has carried a major project to increase flood defences in Boscastle, with the aim of preventing a similar flood happening again.
• We are investing in new ways of predicting heavy rainfall events on a small scale to produce better warnings.

In Pictures

Weather chart

Radar imagery

Fig. 2 shows radar pictures at 12 p.m. (midday)  on 16 August.

The rainfall rate key shows how the colours in the image relate to the rate the rainfall is falling. For example, the red areas indicate that rain is falling at between eight and 16 mm per hour.

A line of very heavy rain starts at about 1 p.m. on the moors close to Boscastle. It remains over the area for about six hours. Rainfall rates of at least 32 mm per hour are being measured.

There is more about  rainfall radar  in the weather section of the Met Office website.

Satellite imagery Fig. 3 shows an animation of satellite pictures from 12 p.m. (midday) to 7 p.m. on 16 August.

The thickest cloud is shown by the brightest white areas on the picture. The pictures show cloud forming over Boscastle at about 1 p.m. and staying there for much of the afternoon.

Further information on other websites BBC News website covering the Boscastle flooding BBC News article – Boscastle one year on

Boscastle 16 August 2004 the day of the flood , 2006, Galvin, 61, 29

Web page reproduced with the kind permission of  the Met Office

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Removal of vegetation

• The removal of trees and vegetation upstream of Boscastle increased surface runoff.

Steep relief

• Boscastle is in a very steep valley, which means surface runoff is high and fast.
• The steep valley acted like a funnel, channeling all of the rain into Boscastle.

The low bridge in Boscastle

• A bridge over the River Valency in Boscastle was not very tall and had a low arch.
• When the flash flood came, cars and debris became stuck under the arch creating a dam. This led to even worse flooding.

Intense rainfall

• 200mm of rainfall fell in 24 hours (the monthly average was 75mm).
• Between 50mm and 100mm fell in the space of a few hours.
• July and August 2004 had been rainy, so there was already a lot of surface runoff.

Lack of flood defences

• Boscastle had no flood defences. This meant that it was vulnerable to any especially heavy rainfall.

Consequences of the Boscastle Flash Flood in 2004

There were immediate and long-term consequences of the Boscastle flash flood that happened on 16th August, 2004. These consequences included:

Decreased tourism

• The flood happened during the peak season for tourism.
• People think that the flood cost the town £50 million in damage and lost income.

Flood damage

• 58 properties were flooded. 4 of these were destroyed.
• 150 cars were swept away.
• Roads and bridges were destroyed.

Evacuation was difficult

• Evacuation was difficult because the flooding happened so fast.
• 100 people were airlifted to safety.

Environmental pollution

• Environmental pollution happened as a result of about 150 cars being transported by the floodwater into the sea. 30 cars were swept out to sea.
• 1,850 tonnes of flood debris were recovered from the surrounding area.

Illness and injury

• Nobody was seriously injured. Most of the harm was due to stress and mental health.

Responses to the Boscastle Flash Flood in 2004

There were immediate and long-term responses to the Boscastle flash flood that happened on 16th August, 2004. These responses included:

New bridge with a higher arch

• Increasing the height of the bridge's arch should stop the bridge from becoming a dam if flooding happens again.

Deeper and wider river channel

• A new £10 million pound scheme tried to stop this happening again.
• The River Valency was widened by 3 metres and lowered by 2 metres.
• 3 gauges were introduced to monitor water levels.

• Buildings and roads had to be rebuilt.

Emergency rescues

• Nobody died.

Temporary accommodation

• People whose accommodation got flooded were put up in temporary accommodation.

1 The Challenge of Natural Hazards

1.1 Natural Hazards

1.1.1 Types of Natural Hazards

1.1.2 Hazard Risk

1.1.3 Consequences of Natural Hazards

1.1.4 End of Topic Test - Natural Hazards

1.1.5 Exam-Style Questions - Natural Hazards

1.2 Tectonic Hazards

1.2.1 Tectonic Plates

1.2.2 Tectonic Plates & Convection Currents

1.2.3 Plate Margins

1.2.4 Volcanoes

1.2.5 Effects of Volcanoes

1.2.6 Responses to Volcanic Eruptions

1.2.7 Earthquakes

1.2.8 Earthquakes 2

1.2.9 Responses to Earthquakes

1.2.10 Case Studies: The L'Aquila & Kashmir Earthquakes

1.2.11 Earthquake Case Study: Chile 2010

1.2.12 Earthquake Case Study: Nepal 2015

1.2.13 Living with Tectonic Hazards 1

1.2.14 Living with Tectonic Hazards 2

1.2.15 End of Topic Test - Tectonic Hazards

1.2.16 Exam-Style Questions - Tectonic Hazards

1.2.17 Tectonic Hazards - Statistical Skills

1.3 Weather Hazards

1.3.1 Global Atmospheric Circulation

1.3.2 Surface Winds

1.3.3 UK Weather Hazards

1.3.4 Tropical Storms

1.3.5 Features of Tropical Storms

1.3.6 Impact of Tropical Storms 1

1.3.7 Impact of Tropical Storms 2

1.3.8 Tropical Storms Case Study: Katrina

1.3.9 Tropical Storms Case Study: Haiyan

1.3.10 UK Weather Hazards Case Study: Somerset 2014

1.3.11 End of Topic Test - Weather Hazards

1.3.12 Exam-Style Questions - Weather Hazards

1.3.13 Weather Hazards - Statistical Skills

1.4 Climate Change

1.4.1 Evidence for Climate Change

1.4.2 Causes of Climate Change

1.4.3 Effects of Climate Change

1.4.4 Managing Climate Change

1.4.5 End of Topic Test - Climate Change

1.4.6 Exam-Style Questions - Climate Change

1.4.7 Climate Change - Statistical Skills

2 The Living World

2.1 Ecosystems

2.1.1 Ecosystems

2.1.2 Ecosystem Cascades & Global Ecosystems

2.1.3 Ecosystem Case Study: Freshwater Ponds

2.2 Tropical Rainforests

2.2.1 Tropical Rainforests - Intro & Interdependence

2.2.2 Adaptations

2.2.3 Biodiversity of Tropical Rainforests

2.2.4 Deforestation

2.2.5 Case Study: Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest

2.2.6 Sustainable Management of Rainforests

2.2.7 Case Study: Malaysian Rainforest

2.2.8 End of Topic Test - Tropical Rainforests

2.2.9 Exam-Style Questions - Tropical Rainforests

2.2.10 Deforestation - Statistical Skills

2.3 Hot Deserts

2.3.1 Overview of Hot Deserts

2.3.2 Biodiversity & Adaptation to Hot Deserts

2.3.3 Case Study: Sahara Desert

2.3.4 Desertification

2.3.5 Case Study: Thar Desert

2.3.6 End of Topic Test - Hot Deserts

2.3.7 Exam-Style Questions - Hot Deserts

2.4 Tundra & Polar Environments

2.4.1 Overview of Cold Environments

2.4.2 Adaptations in Cold Environments

2.4.3 Biodiversity in Cold Environments

2.4.4 Case Study: Alaska

2.4.5 Sustainable Management

2.4.6 Case Study: Svalbard

2.4.7 End of Topic Test - Tundra & Polar Environments

2.4.8 Exam-Style Questions - Cold Environments

3 Physical Landscapes in the UK

3.1 The UK Physical Landscape

3.1.1 The UK Physical Landscape

3.2 Coastal Landscapes in the UK

3.2.1 Types of Wave

3.2.2 Weathering & Mass Movement

3.2.3 Processes of Erosion & Wave-Cut Platforms

3.2.4 Headlands, Bays, Caves, Arches & Stacks

3.2.5 Transportation

3.2.6 Deposition

3.2.7 Spits, Bars & Sand Dunes

3.2.8 Case Study: Landforms on the Dorset Coast

3.2.9 Types of Coastal Management 1

3.2.10 Types of Coastal Management 2

3.2.11 Coastal Management Case Study - Holderness

3.2.12 Coastal Management Case Study: Swanage

3.2.13 Coastal Management Case Study - Lyme Regis

3.2.14 End of Topic Test - Coastal Landscapes in the UK

3.2.15 Exam-Style Questions - Coasts

3.3 River Landscapes in the UK

3.3.1 The River Valley

3.3.2 River Valley Case Study - River Tees

3.3.3 Erosion

3.3.4 Transportation & Deposition

3.3.5 Waterfalls, Gorges & Interlocking Spurs

3.3.6 Meanders & Oxbow Lakes

3.3.7 Floodplains & Levees

3.3.8 Estuaries

3.3.9 Case Study: The River Clyde

3.3.10 River Management

3.3.11 Hard & Soft Flood Defences

3.3.12 River Management Case Study - Boscastle

3.3.13 River Management Case Study - Banbury

3.3.14 End of Topic Test - River Landscapes in the UK

3.3.15 Exam-Style Questions - Rivers

3.4 Glacial Landscapes in the UK

3.4.1 Erosion

3.4.2 Landforms Caused by Erosion

3.4.3 Landforms Caused by Transportation & Deposition

3.4.4 Snowdonia

3.4.5 Land Use in Glaciated Areas

3.4.6 Tourism in Glacial Landscapes

3.4.7 Case Study - Lake District

3.4.8 End of Topic Test - Glacial Landscapes in the UK

3.4.9 Exam-Style Questions - Glacial Landscapes

4 Urban Issues & Challenges

4.1 Urban Issues & Challenges

4.1.1 Urbanisation

4.1.2 Urbanisation Case Study: Lagos

4.1.3 Urbanisation Case Study: Rio de Janeiro

4.1.4 UK Cities

4.1.5 Case Study: Urban Regen Projects - Manchester

4.1.6 Case Study: Urban Change in Liverpool

4.1.7 Case Study: Urban Change in Bristol

4.1.8 Sustainable Urban Life

4.1.9 End of Topic Test - Urban Issues & Challenges

4.1.10 Exam-Style Questions - Urban Issues & Challenges

4.1.11 Urban Issues -Statistical Skills

5 The Changing Economic World

5.1 The Changing Economic World

5.1.1 Measuring Development

5.1.2 Classifying Countries Based on Wealth

5.1.3 The Demographic Transition Model

5.1.4 Physical & Historical Causes of Uneven Development

5.1.5 Economic Causes of Uneven Development

5.1.6 How Can We Reduce the Global Development Gap?

5.1.7 Case Study: Tourism in Kenya

5.1.8 Case Study: Tourism in Jamaica

5.1.9 Case Study: Economic Development in India

5.1.10 Case Study: Aid & Development in India

5.1.11 Case Study: Economic Development in Nigeria

5.1.12 Case Study: Aid & Development in Nigeria

5.1.13 Economic Development in the UK

5.1.14 Economic Development UK: Industry & Rural

5.1.15 Economic Development UK: Transport & North-South

5.1.16 Economic Development UK: Regional & Global

5.1.17 End of Topic Test - The Changing Economic World

5.1.18 Exam-Style Questions - The Changing Economic World

5.1.19 Changing Economic World - Statistical Skills

6 The Challenge of Resource Management

6.1 Resource Management

6.1.1 Global Distribution of Resources

6.1.2 Food in the UK

6.1.3 Water in the UK 1

6.1.4 Water in the UK 2

6.1.5 Energy in the UK

6.1.6 Resource Management - Statistical Skills

6.2.1 Areas of Food Surplus & Food Deficit

6.2.2 Food Supply & Food Insecurity

6.2.3 Increasing Food Supply

6.2.4 Case Study: Thanet Earth

6.2.5 Creating a Sustainable Food Supply

6.2.6 Case Study: Agroforestry in Mali

6.2.7 End of Topic Test - Food

6.2.8 Exam-Style Questions - Food

6.2.9 Food - Statistical Skills

6.3.1 The Global Demand for Water

6.3.2 What Affects the Availability of Water?

6.3.3 Increasing Water Supplies

6.3.4 Case Study: Water Transfer in China

6.3.5 Sustainable Water Supply

6.3.6 Case Study: Kenya's Sand Dams

6.3.7 Case Study: Lesotho Highland Water Project

6.3.8 Case Study: Wakel River Basin Project

6.3.9 Exam-Style Questions - Water

6.3.10 Water - Statistical Skills

6.4.1 Global Demand for Energy

6.4.2 Factors Affecting Energy Supply

6.4.3 Increasing Energy Supply: Renewables

6.4.4 Increasing Energy Supply: Non-Renewables

6.4.5 Carbon Footprints & Energy Conservation

6.4.6 Case Study: Rice Husks in Bihar

6.4.7 Exam-Style Questions - Energy

6.4.8 Energy - Statistical Skills

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Resources you can trust

Take 10: Boscastle flood

This revision resource on the Boscastle case study associates key facts with striking black and white images using the principle of dual coding.

The information covers why the village of Boscastle is particularly susceptible to flooding, what caused the floods of August 2004, what the impacts were, and what has been done to mitigate future flooding events. 

Revision tips demonstrate how students can connect one fact to another to create a chain of knowledge. They can cut out and annotate the revision strips or else use them for oral recall practice.

The Word document contains practice exam questions on the causes and impacts of flooding, along with a mark scheme. The PowerPoint includes colour photos that can be used for a starter activity.

Practice exam questions:

Choose from the following questions, using the exam tips and revision notes to help you. Plan your answer below and then write it in your book or on paper.

• Explain the causes of flooding in one location that you have studied. [6]
• Explain the impacts of flooding in one location that you have studied. [6]
• Assess the extent to which human factors caused the flooding at Boscastle . [8]
• ‘Flooding is inevitable when settlements are built close to rivers.’ How far do you agree with this statement? [8]

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Boscastle Case Study

Reena Verma

Boscastle Flood 2004 Case study

Boscastle is in the south west of England as shown on the map to the left. The Boscastle flood occurred on the 16 th  August 2004 in Boscastle in England. Boscastle is the only natural harbour for 20 miles along the Northern Cornwall Coast. The flood took the people of Boscastle by surprise as the village isn’t usually prone to extreme flooding. The village had never experienced such a flood. The location of the village is within the Valency valley, and the Valency is usually a quiet stream which follows a course from the hills to the valley. Because the valley was so steep, it accelerated on the hills as it travelled down to the valley floor. This meant that the water fell extremely quickly down the valley sides. Also, the shape of the valley meant that the rainwater from the surrounding area was getting built up into a relatively narrow space descending towards the valley bottom. This caused an increase in run-off speed, which meant that it couldn't hold enough water to prevent the flooding which occurred. The entire South-West of the country had been beaten by stormy weather over the days leading up to the flood, and as a result the ground was saturated on the day of the flood. The 16th was a very hot day, with clear skies in the morning and very high temperatures for much of the day. The combination of high temperature and the large quantity of unabsorbed surface water, and also moist winds off the sea and the effects of the local relief caused a great deal of moist, warm air to travel upwards quickly. The storm clouds formed very rapidly and soon Boscastle was overshadowed by a menacing storm cloud. By early afternoon, the rain had started, and within a few hours, already 5 inches of rain has fallen on Boscastle. When the flow in the valley was met by the water coming down from the moors through the steep valley, the volume of water in such a small space at once caused the Valency to burst its banks & cause the exceptional level of damage in the village. The diagram above shows the amount of rainfall, where the darkest grey areas show where the most rain had fallen. In the space of one hour, about 3.5 inches of rain had fallen, and this was a very rapid amount of rain in a small scale of time. In the Valency valley, the walls are very steep,  and this caused the water to come down at a higher speed and therefore move quicker to the bottom of the valley.

There were many impacts on Boscastle itself, each being significant to the area. It affected the people, the environment and the economy of Boscastle very much. There were both primary and secondary effects on the people, economy and the environment.

Impact on the local people living in Boscastle who were affected by the flood

This is a preview of the whole essay

The local people of Boscastle were affected very greatly in many ways. Firstly, p eople couldn’t get out of buildings because of the floodwater and had to seek refuge on the roofs of the buildings and just wait to be rescued. Because of this they were waiting around to be rescued for a large amount of time. Because of this, it meant that people were of risk of developing hypothermia, or being swept away by the flood waters. The dangers of developing hypothermia, shock and being swept away were very high. An estimated amount of 150 people had to be rescued from rooftops, cars or even trees. Secondly, e mergency accommodation had to be set up as people were left homeless for the night. Nearby hotels and guest houses were packed with people who had arrived in Boscastle and had lost their cars, so they were unable to return to their accommodation elsewhere. Some people’s houses were damaged so they could no longer live there, until the wreckage had been cleaned up. Some houses even were in such states that they couldn’t be lived in again. Helicopters were used to rescue people from being stuck. Some houses had been damaged so badly that a lot of basic everyday necessities such as cooking, washing and cleaning could not be done. It was a very hard life- people didn’t even have the basics such as electricity or gas and couldn’t cook or do anything in their houses. Some people even were left without their own possessions including money. Also some couldn’t drink the water as the drinking tap water had been affected and people could’ve caught dangerous diseases like cholera. It was the sewage system which had burst and therefore contaminated the drinking water. The floods also damaged businesses which meant the people were not able to work for a while and people were extremely low on money. Cars were washed away and about 75 cars were destroyed with hundreds being washed away. Fifty cars were damaged beyond repair, fuel from which was spilt into the water and sea. This meant that some people had no means of transport and were unable to travel anywhere. Because of cars, properties and businesses being destroyed, it gave Boscastle a costly expense of insurance to replace and repair them. An increased amount of people had to pay for their car and home insurance in Boscastle. It is estimated that insurance companies paid out about £15 million. Many people were also traumatised and stressed out by this incident and this showed in their mental thinking. People were separated from their families and couldn’t contact each other and this cause great worry as families didn’t know if their own relatives were safe or not.

Here is an example of a business being destroyed. The image below shows the ruins of the witchcraft museum and local shop.

Impacts on the economy of the affected area

The economy suffered greatly as some businesses were destroyed and this caused a great loss. Around £15 million was paid out by insurance companies in order to rebuild peoples businesses and homes. Even though the money was available, it took a very long time and insurance companies were forced to raise the costs of home region in Boscastle. The image on the right shows the helicopter view of the extreme flooding.

Repairs had to be made after the damage. This was extremely costly. Some buildings were beyond repair and the owners had to consider rebuilding it from scratch. The damage not only affected the residents, but also the insurance companies. Now the home insurance in Boscastle is much more costly than before. Boscastle's main industry was tourism. A lot of money was earned through this industry but after the flood, the town wasn’t as big in tourism causing a massive loss. Tourist attractions such as the witchcraft museum were lost and many small businesses went out of business as a result of the flood.  This affected the town very much as many people had lost their businesses and all that money spent in building it previously. Because of there being no tourism in the area, it meant that there wasn’t much income for the area which was a very big problem for the people who relied on tourism to keep the money coming in.  The town had to pay for both the damage and also the aid and help given. Boscastle had to pay for the costs of operating various rescue systems. Overall there was a tremendous impact in terms of financial effects all being negative.

Impacts on the environment of the affected area

The impacts on the environment in Boscastle was very bad. Debris and mud was left everywhere and this had to be cleaned up so that people could get past. Roads were blocked off by the floodwater, making any access difficult except from the air. Even when rescue helicopters arrived, the valley was only big enough for two to operate at any one time. Therefore this took a long time and it was putting lives at risk from the still rising flood waters.  Also the floods saturated the ground which meant that no more water could enter the ground and caused water logging of fields. Because of the sewage system breaking, it meant that drinking water could’ve been contaminated. Many drains were blocked because of the heavy rainfall and this meant that the water carried on overflowing. Because of there being so much water, it water logged the fields which destroyed many crops and vegetation. Property was destroyed by debris such as entire trees and vehicles speeding down the valley at high speed. Buildings were smashed, especially in the main street where the river channel was flowing. The structures of the majority of buildings were badly damaged by the floodwaters. The main sewage system gad burst and damaged much of Boscastle which made Boscastle inaccessible for health and safety reasons.

Personal Response

I think that the Boscastle floods caused a great deal of damage in a few ways. The floods cause a great deal of impact on the people, the economical and the environmental aspects of the area as it affects these heavily. The effects lasted a very long time, not weeks but still are affecting the area years later. A majority of people lost a part of them in many ways through their possessions, the businesses and also their homes. Throughout the flood and after the flood there was a huge financial cost. I think that the flood couldn’t have been prevented completely, but certain aspects could have been done in order to help minimize the effects. Many flood management defences could have been put up such as raised banks and also some emergency drainage ditches put before hand. If these defenses were put up, then maybe the overall damage would be less and also it would give people in the area more time to evacuate. I think that in the place of this flood the emergency services such as the hotels helping and helicopters rescuing people were very helpful. They had the village under control for the rescue and recovery missions and therefore resulted in no deaths. Although the village had no deaths, the helicopters could only go down by two and therefore it made it harder for the people to get rescued. As Boscastle isn’t really prone to usual flooding, this may have been the reason why such defenses weren’t in place. I think that an emergency plan should have been planned before to help the people in the area. To the left is a diagram which shows how Boscastle isn’t usually prone to flooding and also the defenses already in place. I think the areas which are labeled with the extent of extreme flooding should definitely have a flood defense in place.

What factors or activity within or outside the catchment influence the floods?

Boscastle is quite likely to flood in the near future as it is near the coast and some nearby rivers. Due to the heavy rainfall falling in a short period of time the rivers rose beyond their peak. Also because of the shape of the Valency Valley, it will mean that if a flood happens, then water would slope down very quickly.  The Valency Valley makes this dangerous as the valley walls are very steep which tells us that less water will absorb into the ground and more water will rush down the valley at a high speed. This means that the effects of the flood may be much worse.   The lower bridge caused problems as it obstructed water causing the water to burst the banks and overflow more. Another factor influencing the floods were that Boscastle is very steep which forced the air to rise and cool creating rain. The floods all were very destructing due to the coastal winds. As the river is long and thin, this makes it more prone to flooding as it will overflow more easily. This diagram on the left shows how flash floods occur. First of all, the heavy rain falls onto the ground. Then because the rain water cannot soak it runs into the river. The rivers automatically become full and burst into the banks which are how the valleys flood.

How could the impacts of floods be changed in the future?

The impacts of floods could be changed by using different types of flood defences such as embankments, walls, weirs, sluices and pumping stations. Some may only be brought into operation when a high tide or flood is forecast or in progress, an example of this which has taken place is the Thames Barrier in London. There are also soft defences such as wetlands and saltmarshes, which are places which provide space for floodwater and prevent flooding from happening elsewhere. At the same time, this method can benefit wildlife by providing greater habitat. Human activity isn’t really responsible in any way for the flood, but the damage caused by the floods can be recognized partially to several human causes. The first of these causes is the lack of any flood control system. If the form of either raised banks around the river channel or emergency drainage ditches to catch overflowed water had been in place, the effects of the flood would’ve been less and would have given people more time to evacuate. Secondly, the sewer systems in Boscastle were old and had a small capacity which meant that the sudden surge of water broke the system, preventing any controlled drainage from occurring in the village and this meant that the flood water simply took the route overland, causing more damage. Also, structures like bridges were obstructing the course of the river and this increased the spread of the floodwater. Overall if these things were put into place, it would minimize the flooding at the time and also give people more time to evacuate.

Bibliography

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4155818.stm
• http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/secondary/students/boscastle/index.html

Document Details

• Word Count 2378
• Page Count 7
• Subject Geography

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• Created on: 19-10-11 16:31

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Geography Case Studies

All of our geography case studies in one place

Coastal Erosion

Use the images below to find out more about each case study.

The Holderness Coast

The Dorset Coast

Happisburgh

Coastal Management

Sandscaping at Bacton, Norfolk

Coastal Realignment Donna Nook

Coastal Realignment Medmerry

Coastal Deposition

Spurn Point

Blakeney Point Spit

Earthquakes

Amatrice Earthquake Case Study

Chile Earthquake 2010

Christchurch Earthquake

Haiti Earthquake

Japan Earthquake 2011

L’Aquila Earthquake

Lombok Indonesia Earthquake 2018

Nepal Earthquake 2015

Sulawesi, Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami 2018

Taiwan (Hualien) Earthquake 2024

New Zealand 2016

Malaysia Causes of Deforestation

Malaysia Impacts of Deforestation

Alaska Case Study

Epping Forest Case Study

Sahara Desert Case Study

Svalbard Case Study

Thar Desert Case Study

Western Desert Case Study

Energy Resources

Chambamontera Micro-hydro Scheme

Extreme Weather in the UK

Beast from the East Case Study

Storm Ciera Case Study

Food Resources

Almería, Spain: a large-scale agricultural development

The Indus Basin Irrigation System: a large-scale agricultural development

Sustainable food supplies in a LIC – Bangladesh

Sustainable food supplies in a LIC – Makueni, Kenya

Landforms on the River Tees

Landforms on the River Severn

Indus River Basin (CIE)

River Flooding

Jubilee River Flood Management Scheme

Banbury Flood Management Scheme

Boscastle Floods

Kerala Flood 2018

Wainfleet Floods 2019

The Somerset Levels Flood Case Study

UK Floods Case Study November 2019

River Management

The Three Gorges Dam

Mekong River

The Changing Economic World

How can the growth of tourism reduce the development gap? Jamaica Case Study

How can the growth of tourism reduce the development gap? Tunisia Case Study

India Case Study of Development

Nigeria – A NEE

Torr Quarry

Nissan Sunderland

The London Sustainable Industries Park (London SIP)

Tropical Storms

Beast from the East

Hurricane Andrew

Cyclone Eline

Cyclone Idai Case Study

Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Hurricane Irma 2017

Typhoon Jebi 2018

Hurricane Florence 2018

Typhoon Mangkhut 2018

Urban Issues

Birmingham – Edexcel B

Urban Growth in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro

Urban Growth in India – Mumbai

Urban Growth in Nigeria – Lagos

London – A Case Study of a UK City

Inner City Redevelopment – London Docklands

Sustainable Urban Living – Freiburg

Sustainable Urban Living – East Village

Sustainable Urban Transport Bristol Case Study

Bristol – A major UK city

Volcanic Eruptions

Eyjafjallajokull – 2010

Mount Merapi – 2010

Mount Pinatubo – 1991

Sakurajima Case Study

Nyiragongo Case Study

Water Resources

Hitosa, Ethiopia – A local water supply scheme in an LIC

The South-North Water Transfer Project, China

Wakal River Basin Project

Lesotho Large-Scale Water Transfer Scheme

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