The Human Health Impacts and Environmental Implications of Floods in Northern Ireland (Poster)

Flooding is now the most frequent type of major disaster globally. During the past 30 years, floods have resulted in 200,000 fatalities and affected more than 2.8 billion others worldwide. It should be recognised that flood events do not necessarily need to be large in scale or be physically destructive to have a detrimental impact on homes and livelihoods, as minor floods can still have potentially large cumulative effects. Estimates suggest that if no preventative measures are taken, flooding will affect 250 000–400 000 additional people annually in Europe by 2080.

Flooding has become a major problem in the United Kingdom, as demonstrated in 2007 in England which resulted in flooding of 55,000 properties, evacuation of approximately 7,000 people and 13 fatalities. The problem extends to Northern Ireland, where climate change is likely to result in higher average temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events, such as floods. In recent years, in Northern Ireland, there have been numerous flooding incidents that have caused devastation to local communities.

The environmental impacts of flooding can be quite wide-ranging, from the dispersion of low-level household wastes into the fluvial system to contamination of community water supplies. The impact of floods on human health is under-researched even though flooding has obvious direct impacts i.e. morbidity, injuries, diseases and also more indirect impacts such as mental health conditions due to the long-term consequences of flooding. This study will undertake measurements and characterisation of water contaminants, after a flooding event, with a view to evaluating the impact on water quality. It will also explore the human health impacts of floods, using surveys and interviews to investigate the physical and psychological health problems inflicted on individuals, subsequent to flooding.

The results will assist agencies to mitigate the long-term health impacts of flooding, provide beneficial information on the risk to water quality from flooding and help agencies response efficiently during the recovery stage of a flooding event, providing the community with an appropriate level of support.