The town, at the confluence of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent, is prone to flooding due to the natural topography of the area. Flooding occurred most recently in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
What has been done to reduce flooding in Cockermouth?
Flooding in Cockermouth is reduced by over 500m of raised embankment and 1.2km of flood wall. These defences work together to manage river flows through the town. There is also 9 floodgates, 120m of self-raising flood barrier and numerous flap valves on drainage outfalls.
What were the effects of the Cockermouth flood?
Environmental. Rivers were significantly altered with increased rates of erosion. Four bridges were destroyed and 25 were closed for over six weeks due to the damage. This caused traffic problems in the town.
How did people respond storm Desmond?
Several teams of Royal Engineers were deployed to help in the emergency response and recovery after the floods in Cumbria and Lancashire. £400,000 was donated within 48 hours by the public after a £1m appeal was launched to help people affected by flooding caused by Storm Desmond.
How does the Urbanisation of Cockermouth cause flooding?
Urbanisation – towns such as Cockermouth and Keswick have increased the amount of impermeable surfaces which means that the water gets to the river more quickly, increasing discharge. Water flowed down roads and into streams and rivers – increasing the discharge rapidly.
What year did Cockermouth flood?
2009
The flood in Cockermouth, 19th-20th November 2009.
How did people respond Storm Desmond?
What percentage of businesses were flooded in the Cockermouth floods in 2009?
A survey by Cumbria Tourism found that 72% of tourist businesses across the county suffered some negative impact because of the floods and 6% of tourist business closed down completely. Now, nearly four years later, more than £4.4m has been spent on flood defence work in the town.
How many times has Carlisle been flooded?
Carlisle has a history of flooding with large scale flood events occurring in 1968, 2005 and 2015 flooding both homes, businesses and impacting the wider community. Following the 2005 flooding, the Environment Agency built a new Flood Risk Management Scheme on the Rivers Eden, Petteril and Caldew.
How did the Cockermouth flood of 2015 compare to 2009?
As such, the area of Cockermouth at risk from the Cocker only, experienced less severe flooding in 2015 compared to the 2009 event. The impacts of the 2015 flooding were also lessened by the improvements to defences in the south of the town following the 2009 event.
What caused the 2015 Cumbrian floods?
Case study – the Cumbrian floods, 2015 In December 2015, Storm Desmond set a new record, with 341.4 millimetres of rain falling over a 24-hour period. This led to the flooding of Cumbria and in particular, the town of Cockermouth – despite the construction of a self-closing flood barrier in 2013.
What was the water level in the River Cocker in 2015?
The water level recorded in the River Cocker in December 2015 did not reach the level experienced in 2009. In the 2009 event, the peak level in the River Cocker was roughly 0.5m higher than in 2015, a peak of 4.970m compared to 4.476m at South Street footbridge in Cockermouth.
What was the flood of 5 and 6 December?
The flooding of 5 and 6 December, which saw “36 hours of intense rainfall”, was the fourth time the town has been severely hit since 2005. The water level was recorded as 4.476m at the South Street footbridge. Improvements to defences in the south of the town following floods in 2009 lessened its impact, the report found.
