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Geography (Rivers)
ESDGC
PSE
at both KS2 and KS3
(at KS2 My Natural Environment)
Short descriptor
Flooding in Wales
These resources look at flooding in Wales and help to increase
the awareness of flooding, why it happens, how you can be
prepared and investigating different flood schemes.
(Environment Agency)
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Flooding in Wales
Environment Agency
These resources link Environment Agency Wales’ resources to support teaching and
learning for KS2 and KS3 Geography as well as PSE and ESDGC. They can provide
a source of data for investigations, including real-time river levels and flood
management schemes.
These resources look at flooding in Wales and help to increase the awareness of
flooding, why it happens, how you can be prepared and investigating different flood
schemes.
OPEN THIS RESOURCE (page to be set out as below)
Underlined links are set out in this document. Worksheets and downloads are
attached separately.
Flooding in Wales
Introduction
Flood defence schemes
Flood Warning codes
Flood Awareness Wales
Downloads
Worksheet 1 - Think about possible sources of
flooding and the dangers that all types of
flooding may have
Worksheet 2 - Find out about ways to reduce
the impact of flooding to your home
Worksheet 3 - Decide what you would include in
a flood kit
Flooding and your family
Links
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/EnvironmentAgency-Wales-Asiantaeth-yr-AmgylcheddCymru/176369212377249?v=wall
Twitter
http://twitter.com/EnvAgencyWales
You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZeP-ggjAkc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u098-0Bv7f4
Suggested learning activities
FLOODING IN WALES
Introduction
Over 5 million people in England and Wales live and work in places that are at a risk
of flooding from rivers or the sea. Some places have a higher risk of flooding and
therefore may flood more frequently than others. In the future, climate change may
make flooding happen more often.
Environment Agency Wales is one of lots of organisations who work to keep us safe.
During a flood in Wales, the emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) will work
together with local authorities and Environment Agency Wales to make sure that
communities are as safe as possible.
The Environment Agency offers a special service which gives early warnings to
people to warn them of possible flooding. This is called the Floodline Warnings Direct
service. If this special service is available near your home or school, you can sign up
to receive flood warnings by phone, email or text. Visit the Environment Agency’s
website here or phone Floodline on 0845 988 1188 and give your address and
postcode.
Environment Agency Wales also makes maps to show places that are at risk of
flooding. These maps are available on the Environment Agency Wales website. Click
here to find out if your area might flood. Do you live or go to school in an area that
might flood?
Measuring the changes in water levels in rivers is just one of the many jobs done by
Environment Agency Wales. River level information is now on the internet so people
can check LIVE river level measurements. Click here to look at the river levels near
you.
Find out more about places that might flood, what to do during a flood, current river
levels near you and much more at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
Flood defence schemes
As well as talking to people about their flood risk, Environment Agency Wales also
builds flood defence schemes to help reduce the risk of flooding in Wales. Flood
defence schemes can help protect a town or village from flooding. You might know of
flood defences along a river near you protecting a town, village, road or railway line.
Climate change and different weather patterns may mean flooding could become
worse in the future. This means we cannot just count on flood defences to protect us,
so it is important everybody living in a place that might flood knows what they can do
to help protect their families and their homes.
Flood Warning Codes
Have a look below to see Environment Agency Wales’ NEW FLOOD WARNING
CODES! These are simple to understand, have local information and give clear
advice about what to do. Make sure you know what the new codes mean:
A flood alert will mean flooding is possible.
People should make some plans, think about what
they would have to do in a flood and keep an eye on
the situation.
A flood warning will mean flooding of homes and
businesses is very likely. People should take action to
make sure they and their family are safe, and try to
reduce the impact of the flood (such as moving
important items to a safe place).
A severe flood warning will mean worse flooding is
likely, with danger to life. People should get to a safe
place with a way of escape, and be ready in case they
have to leave. Listen to the advice of the emergency
services.
People may see or hear these warnings through the Floodline Warnings Direct
service and also on television weather broadcasts, local radio stations and the
internet. Have a look here for the most up to date flood information.
Flood Awareness Wales
Environment Agency Wales has a project called ‘Flood
Awareness Wales’. The aim of Flood Awareness
Wales is to make sure everyone living in an area that
might flood is aware of their own risk and knows what
to do to protect their family and their homes if they are
flooded. As part of this, Flood Awareness Wales has
taken a giant pair of welly boots on a roadshow all over
Wales to talk to people about flood risk. There are also
special teams of flood awareness officers who knock
on doors in places that might flood to talk to people
about how they can plan for a flood.
Find out more about Flood Awareness Wales by
visiting www.environment-agencygov.uk/floodwales
Suggested learning activities
Here are some ideas for learning activities which would be modified to suit KS2/3
learners:

Carry out an investigation with your learners into ‘The risk of flooding in our
locality’. Find out about the risk of flooding in and around where your learners
live or your school, or the school/s where your learners have been in the past
or will go in the future. Use the Environment Agency website to help you.
Ask your learners in groups to think of ‘key questions’ to investigate (think
about causes, effects and sustainable management of rivers and land use).
Use mind maps and brain storming to find out prior knowledge and
understanding. You could use the worksheets as stimulus material to help
here.

Look at the river levels for a river near your home or school using the
Environment Agency Website. Ask learners to think about what might happen
to the river under different weather conditions, use the weather forecast to
monitor this. Link learners’ ideas to the water cycle and the conditions in your
local drainage basin. Use OS maps and satellite images to identify factors
such as height and shape of the land, vegetation cover, built up areas.
Undertaking full risk assessment consider a field visit to your local river to
observe, record conditions and possibly collect data at low flow.

Have a look at the Environment Agency advice guides on what to do before,
during and after a flood: http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31624.aspx
Learners could compile their own emergency flood kit, or their family flood kit,
or identify what they could do at home to reduce possible flood damage. They
could also suggest how to modify the school buildings to help reduce possible
flood damage.
(Remember flood damage can come from blocked surface drainage as well
as river flooding and so may affect all sites).

Let learners decide how to present their findings most appropriately (consider
mapping areas at risk, annotating existing flood defences and land uses using
photo and satellite images and suggesting possible flood management and
land use changes for sustainable management).

Involve your learners in producing an amendment to your school emergency
plan in case of flooding. Contact the environment agency for help and advice.