Is flood forecasting failing?

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 December 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The south Wales town of Pontypridd saw cars submerged, people bailing floodwater out of their homes using bins, and the beautiful park and lido transformed into a brown mess, as parts of the UK were flooded.

But, it's nothing new. Pontypridd was severely flooded just four and a half years ago – and these are scenes that play out around the UK every winter.

So, is the way we warn people about floods failing?

We’re going to unpick exactly how floods are forecast – and what went wrong – with natural hazards researcher and hydrologist, Professor Hannah Cloke.

Also this week, sharing your microbiome with friends, alternative plastics, and was the most recent climate summit good COP or bad COP?

Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Gerry Holt, Sophie Ormiston & Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth 

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cocklin.
0:02.8	Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them.
0:06.6	My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right.
0:10.6	In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people
0:16.0	who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world.
0:19.8	Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela, Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey,
0:24.8	history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cocklin.
0:27.9	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:31.4	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:35.4	Hello, lovely curious-minded listeners.
0:37.9	You're listening to BBC Inside Science with me, Victoria Gill.
0:42.0	Today, we'll be finding out how some of the billions of bacteria that occupy our guts
0:46.7	are finding their way into the bodies of our friends and our friends' friends.
0:51.0	And why can we not find a better, more sustainable alternative to ubiquitous, useful,
0:56.4	but environmentally polluting plastic? But first, water was pouring down some of the streets of my
1:03.1	hometown during Stormbert, but that was nothing compared to the scenes in the South Wales town
1:08.1	of Pontiprith. Cars submerged at a garage, people using bins
1:12.5	to bail filthy floodwater out of their homes, and the beautiful park and Lido transformed
1:17.9	into a brown murky mess. And we've been here before. Pontyprith was severely flooded
1:22.7	just four and a half years ago. These are scenes that now play out around the UK every winter. So is the way
1:28.8	we warn people about flooding failing? We're going to unpick exactly how floods are forecast,
1:34.5	how flood alerts work and what went wrong here. So let's start with a first-hand account
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -91 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.