FLOOD 2000

Table of Events

Table of events

04-Nov-2000

Severe Flood Warning issued on the River Aire

05 Nov-2000

Severe Flood Warnings are still in force on the River Aire at Gowdall

06-Nov-2000

Currently 52 Severe Flood Warnings are now in force across 33 rivers in England and Wales. In towns on the River Aire - including Wakefield and Ferrybridge - Environment Agency loud hailer vans have been giving out flood warnings and advice.

07-Nov-2000

Villages on the Lower River Aire were also evacuated as a precautionary measure during the evening.

09-Nov-2000

SELBY 'LAKE' NOW BIGGER THAN WINDERMERE The area of land under flood water to the south of York and Selby is now bigger than Lake Windermere. The Environment Agency estimates that the area between Castleford, Selby, Goole and Doncaster in Yorkshire is now holding approximately one third of a billion tonnes of water, roughly equivalent to the volume of water in Lake Windermere, England's largest natural body of water. In the past two weeks, approximately 660 million cubic metres of water has found its way into the River Ouse. In the past week, the Rivers Aire, Ouse and Derwent have all reached the highest levels ever recorded.

16-Nov-2000

The Severe Flood Warnings are all in force in Northeast England, where a massive operation is now underway with the Internal Drainage Board to reduce river levels around Eggborough, Hensall Gowdall and Gowdall Ings. This operation will: drain water from homes in Gowdall; enable emergency work to take place on damaged defences in the area, and protect towns and villages downstream from further flooding, if weather conditions deteriorate in the near future.

21- Nov-2000

Gowdall is currently the only village in the country still on a severe flood warning and flood defence engineers, operations teams, and managers from the Agency are working flat out with the community to tackle local problems. Some homes are still underwater in the village and this week the Environment Agency announces a six-point action plan to tackle flood defence and flood warning issues there.The massive pump currently taking water away from nearby washlands will be supplemented with a more powerful version which together with a number of smaller ones will pump over five tonnes of water per second into the River Aire

23 Nov-2000

Water levels have fallen significantly and are continuing to drop at the rate of six inches per day. Only 5 houses remain flooded out of the 100 that were under water for nearly two weeks.Gowdall is the last village in the country to have its severe flood warning removed. It was first issued on 4 November after record-breaking levels on the River Aire overtopped defences and flooded washlands.

Written and designed (© 2000) by
Andy Westley

Issued: 2 January 2001

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