Scotland - Flood

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/int/geog/envhaz/summary/index.
shtml
What caused the flooding in Inverness ?
The flooding was primarily caused by extremely heavy rain. During the storm on Saturday 7 September 2002,
Inverness experienced an exceptional amount of rainfall. Rain gauges around the Inverness area recorded the
data. In the 12 hour period prior to the start of the intense storm the rainfall registered as 7.4 mm. In the 12
hours covering the storm there was 10 times that, a total of 74.2 mm. In one hour after midnight 31.2 mm of
rainfall was recorded.
The geographical shape of Inverness also contributes to what happens to excess water during times of heavy
rain. Inverness is surrounded by steep hills to the south east and south west. There are more than seven burns
draining off the hills to the south east of the city. When there is heavy rainfall the excess water has no chance of
sinking below ground because of the steepness of the slopes. The burns run off the hillside so quickly that when
they reach the lowland they quickly burst their banks.
In the past the burns bursting their banks would not have caused much damage but since the 1950s Inverness
has almost doubled in size. Land previously used as farmland, gardens or woodland is now used for housing
and covered in roads or concrete. When heavy rain falls on to built up land there is no chance of the water
being absorbed. It has to drain away through gullies and down drainpipes. In times of intense rain the drains
quickly overflow and the water lies on the surface causing flooding in the lowest lying areas.
What impact did the floods have?
The Inverness flash floods of September 2002 caused the whole town to be cut off by road, rail and air for a
period of time. The information below outlines the impact to the city.
Houses
Around 15 homes had to be evacuated by lifeboat crews and the coastguard.
Many privately owned and council homes were damaged by floodwater.
About 15 homes on Cranmore Drive were affected by flooding.
Silt and debris from the flood water was dumped in gardens and inside houses.
The main areas affected were Drakies, Hilton, Smithton, Raigmore and Culloden.
As at January 2003 some residents were still not back in their homes.
Roads
The A82 from Fort William to Inverness was closed at Abriachan due to a landslide.
The A9 at Raigmore Interchange was closed as flood waters caused the road to buckle.
The B9039 Newton to Ardersier road, the main road to the city's airport, was closed due to flooding.
The A862 was blocked by flooding.
Silt and debris blocked roads and pavements making them difficult to pass.
Structural damage to a bridge on Drummond Road by flood waters from the Ault na Skiah Burn caused the road
to be closed.
The pathway into Holm Park from Holm Primary School collapsed due to an overflow from the Holm Burn.
Emergency Services
Coastguard, life boat and fire services rescued 200 guests from a hotel, evacuating them with dinghies and
rubber boats.
Hospital
Access roads to the hospital were flooded.
Water seeped in to the basement of Raigmore Hospital causing a risk to patient files and x-ray equipment.
The hospital used as a temporary holding bay for evacuated residents.
Railway
Parts of the track were washed away at Milton of Culloden.
The Inverness to Aberdeen line was closed between Inverness and Nairn.
The Highland Main Line was closed between Inverness and Aviemore
Other Damage
Silt and debris were washed into the drainage system.
1
Many cars in a hotel car park were submerged in water and subsequently written off.
The Caledonian canal had to be closed as it was blocked by a landslide.
Were the floods predicted?
Flooding is hard to predict and flash flooding is almost impossible as it is the intensity of the rain that causes the
floods. In Scotland different organisations work together to forecast the weather and the effects the weather
may have. The Met Office issued weather warnings stating that there would be heavy rain and even some
localised flooding. The floods were not predicted by Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) as they
were caused by storms causing flash floods. Until this time the rainfall had been normal so the rivers and burns
SEPA were monitoring gave no indication of an increased water level until it was too late.
SEPA
Provide a Flood Watch service - giving general alerts for the whole of Scotland by:
collating data on river levels and rainfall around the country.

interpreting weather forecast information from the Meteorological Office.
monitoring tidal and storm surge predictions.
take account of local reports.
Operate a Floodline giving people all over Scotland information on the possible risk of flooding.
Provide a website that gives advance notice of possible flooding. This is known as Flood Watch.
Met Office
Interpret the weather from Satellite images and data.
Provide the National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS) warns the community by providing warning of
severe or hazardous weather which could cause problems, ranging from widespread disruption of
communications to conditions resulting in transport difficulties or threatening lives.
Provide a Weather Watch issued by the Met Office to the public and emergency authorities if there is a risk of
severe weather but the likelihood of occurrence is not great enough for the issue of any of the above warnings.
If this likelihood increases, the Weather Watch may be followed by an Early Warning, Flash Warning or
Motoring Warning as appropriate.
Are not responsible for predicting floods but they pass on warnings of heavy rain to SEPA, Local Authorities,
Utilities and Media.
What action was taken before and after the floods?
The flash floods in Inverness called for action to be taken by a number of organisations. Some action was
needed immediately while other action was required long after the flood water disappeared. The information
below outlines the actions taken by different organisations.
SEPA - Immediate Action

Collected data from several river gauging stations around Inverness.
SEPA - Long Term Action

To liaise with the Local Authority to help prepare a flood plan for three areas in the South East of Inverness
which were badly flooded in the September 2002 floods.
2
Local Authority - Immediate Action
Arranged for several residents to be moved to temporary accommodation including empty council houses and
caravans.
Cleared debris from roads and blocked culverts.
Conducted detailed inspections of the areas affected by flooding and carried out a programme of remedial
works to clear culverts and watercourses and clean out gullies.
Increased the level of maintenance on roadside ditches to improve roadside drainage.
Filled sandbags to be made available to the public on request. Where the elderly and housebound were
affected, the sandbags were delivered.
Local Authority - Long Term Action

Consultants have been engaged to design schemes in the areas which were particularly badly affected by the
exceptional flooding, namely in South West Inverness and in Westhill, Culloden and Smithton. The total
estimated cost of these major works is in the order of £6-8 million.
Publish draft flood orders for the Westhill, Culloden and Smithton catchments when a cost-effective scheme is
developed.
Planning policy and plan adequate provision of drainage at new developments.
Assess the extent of subsidence and deformation of roads due to material wash out.
Produce a Biennial Report containing information on all watercourses with potential for flooding, which could
impact on property.
Increase the level of maintenance on roadside ditches to improve roadside drainage.
Emergency Services - Immediate Action
RNLI and Coast Guard

Fourteen members of the RNLI and the coastguard used dinghies to rescue more than 200 residents and staff
of a city centre hotel.
Police
Set up an incident room involving the coastguard, fire brigade, ambulance, local authority and trunks authority.
Helped move people from the Culloden and Hilton areas of Inverness.
Closed off several roads and organised detour routes.
Recovered vehicles abandoned in flood water.
Fire Brigade
Involved in a number of rescue operations, carrying old and young folk out of flooded houses to higher ground.
Assisted the coastguard in evacuating a large number of guests from a flooded hotel.
Attempted to pump out houses but, due to the nature of the floods the water was re-entering the houses as
quickly as it was being pumped out.
Water Authorities
Warned people about using water from one of their water treatment plants as there was a possibility that the
water could have become contaminated.

Scotland - Flood

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Scotland - Flood

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Scotland - Flood

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/int/geog/envhaz/summary/index.

What impact did the floods have?

Were the floods predicted?

collating data on river levels and rainfall around the country.

Interpret the weather from Satellite images and data.

What action was taken before and after the floods?

SEPA - Immediate Action

SEPA - Long Term Action

Local Authority - Long Term Action

Emergency Services - Immediate Action

RNLI and Coast Guard

You might also like