Flooding
A flood is a body of water temporarily covering what is normally dry land. Floods most commonly occur along rivers. In addition, they can occur around lakes, wetlands, and seacoasts.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is the lead organisation for flood risk management in Ireland. The OPW has now studied and assessed flood risk in Ireland. They have focused on areas of significant risk throughout the country, across 300 communities.
Activity:
1. Flood Hazard Maps show information on a map about places that may be at risk from flooding. Investigate whether your community or school is at risk of flooding using the OPW Flood Hazard Map.
2. Why are flood hazard maps important and who would use them?
3. Research and discuss the causes of flooding with your class.
The Impact of Flooding
Floods present a risk when people, property, the environment and our cultural heritage can be potentially damaged. Below are a number of videos linking out to the RTÉ Archives website on the impact floods have had on Ireland in the past.
Activity:
1. Watch the videos below and document the impact flooding has on people and the environment.
2. Are there any positive impacts to flooding? If so, what are they?
3. What are the short term and long term responses to flooding in Ireland?
4. Identify two flood management methods for rivers and list the advantages and disadvantages for both.
How To Fix Flooding In Kilkenny? - 1969
Aid for the Shannon region hit by flooding.
Report on Tralee’s flooding problem.
Floods hit a wide area of Mayo and Galway following rain.
Heavy flooding particularly bad in south and south east.
Heavy rain brings floods in Cork.
Eco - Eye: Climate Change and Flooding
As an island nation with 1500km of coastline and 70,000km of inland waterways, flooding is not new to Ireland. We have flood defences going back hundreds of years. But with rising oceans and a changing climate, these defences no longer protect our shores in the way they once had.
This 2015 episode of EcoEye visits some of the areas worst hit by flooding and also speaks to scientists mapping erosion and engineers from the OPW about their work and the monumental task facing them. The episode has been broken down into shorter clips for classroom use.
Clip One | Clip Two
Lesson Activity One | Lesson Activity Two
