What does flooding look like? Explain to the children that you are going to look through some images in this presentation and the ‘Flooding short film’ (you will find a link to the film in the ‘What you need’ side bar of the ‘Impacts of flooding’ activity) that show what floods look like and where they can happen.

Floods near Weetwood Bridge, UK Why do you think flooding has happened in this area? It may have rained a lot in a few hours and so the river has overflowed. If it had rained over a few days, even if not heavily, it would have caused the ground to become filled with water. This means the ground would not have been able to absorb any more water. As a result, flooding has happened. How has flooding impacted the environment in this photo? It could have damaged vegetation surrounding the river. Floods can destroy crops on farmland. It could have destroyed animals’ habitats. Why is this landscape more at risk from flooding than others? It is a flat, low-lying area. It is near a river which could overflow if it rains a lot. Source: © Photo by James T M Towill

Flooding in the UK Why do you think flooding has happened in this area? Lots of rain may have caused a river to burst its banks nearby. When it rains a lot on tarmac, the water does not get absorbed, so flooding happens. Why is this landscape more at risk from flooding than others? Tarmac surfaces flood more easily as they cannot absorb rainwater the way soil does. The steep side on the edge of the road means that water flows onto the road more easily. How could the flooding shown in this photo have affected people? Flooding has blocked the road so no one can drive or walk on it. This means it is more difficult or impossible for people to travel to places like work or school. Source: British Red Cross

Flooding in the UK Why do you think flooding has happened in this area? Lots of rain may have caused a river to burst its banks nearby. When it rains a lot on tarmac, the water does not get absorbed, so flooding happens. Why is this landscape more at risk from flooding than others? Tarmac surfaces flood more easily as they cannot absorb rainwater the way soil does. How could the flooding shown in this photo have affected people? Flooding has blocked the road so no one can drive or walk on it. This means it is more difficult or impossible for people to travel to places like work or school. The home looks flooded, which means furniture and the building on the ground level will be damaged. The family living in the house may have been evacuated because the house is not safe to live in until the flood disappears. Source: British Red Cross

Flooding in Oxford, UK Local home owner Matt and his friend Steve use a generator to pump water from Matt's home through a fifty-metre hose. How has flooding affected these people? Their house and garden have been damaged by the flood. They may have been evacuated from the house as it is not safe to live in. This would have affected their daily lives. What do you think the men are doing? They are pumping flood water out of the house with a generator pump and a hose. Source: British Red Cross

Flooding in Staines, UK, in February 2014 How has flooding affected these people? Their house and garden have been damaged by the flood. They may have been evacuated from their home as it is not safe to live in. This will have affected their daily lives. The child may not have been able to go to school or see her friends. How has the family in this photo made sure that flood water will not get into their house? They have placed sandbags at the door. These form a barrier that keeps water out of the house. Source: © Photo by Christopher Furlong, Getty Image

Flooding in Walton-on-Thames, UK, in February 2014 A Fire and Rescue crew helps evacuate residents from flood-affected homes adjacent to the River Thames in Walton-on-Thames on 10 February 2014. Why is it too dangerous to walk in the flood water if you are not wearing the appropriate clothing? The water may be polluted or may have sharp objects that you cannot see which could harm you. Even with the appropriate clothing, six inches of moving flood water can knock someone off their feet. Source: © Photo by Oli Scarff, Getty Images

Flooding in Muchelney in Somerset, UK, in 2014 When flooding happens, the British Red Cross Emergency Response team is ready to help people who have been affected. This photo shows members of the Red Cross Emergency Response team providing assistance to the people living in the Somerset village of Muchelney. Although the village was not all flooded, it had been completely cut off as all the roads leading to it were flooded for about a week at the time this photo was taken. What kind of assistance might people living in Muchelney village have needed after being cut off by flooding? Food and water: their power and water supply may have been damaged so food in fridges would have gone bad and there would have been no tap water. Help with transporting people to and from the village and delivering fuel to the village. Rubbish collection. Help to evacuate people if needed. Source: British Red Cross

Map showing the average annual rainfall in the UK between 1981 and 2010 Explain that this map shows the places where it has rained the most over about 30 years. Explain the blue areas are where it has rained most and the brown areas are where it has rained least. Questions to ask the children: Where does it rain most? In Scotland, especially in the west. It also rains a lot in Wales, in the north-west of England, in Cornwall, and in Northern Ireland. Where does it rain least? In England, especially in the east and in the south central regions. It also has rained least in the east of Scotland and in the east of Northern Ireland. Is there a pattern? It rains most in the west of the UK and it rains least in the east. Does it rain a lot in our town/local area? If the area is blue on the map, then yes. Why is looking at rainfall patterns important? Lots of rain can cause flooding, both if lots of rain falls suddenly in a short space of time, or if it rains persistently over several days. This slide contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0: nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/. Source: Met Office

Could flooding happen here? Check your postcode if you live in England at this link: flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/long-term-flood-risk. Check your postcode if you live in Scotland at this link: map.sepa.org.uk/floodmap/map.htm. If you live in Wales, check whether your location is at risk on this map: maps.cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk/Html5Viewer/Index.html?configBase=https://maps.cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk/Geocortex/Essentials/REST/sites/Flood_Risk/viewers/Flood_Risk/virtualdirectory/Resources/Config/Default. If you live in Northern Ireland, check whether your location is at risk on this map: riversagency.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fd6c0a01b07840269a50a2f596b3daf6.