Floods: Map records damage

As the clean-up continues, Rotherham Investment and Development Office has taken a step back to assess the historic events of June.

One of the team put together the map, which charts 30 roads under water so deep that cars were submerged.

The map also records the traffic chaos on more than 18 other roads which caused gridlock. They hope the maps will also be used in schools to help teach pupils about the unprecedented flood havoc.

Tom Austen, a business support assistant in the office, who watched the flooding unfold, said: "I wanted to do it because we have been working with the Geographical Association in Sheffield on how to make geography real for children. It was about quantifying what had happened.

"When I decided to pull the map together I had no idea of the extent of the floodwater, but as I worked on it I began to realise the scale of it.

"It was just incredible and a freak event that may not happen again in Rotherham for another thousand years, so this was a chance for us to record and explain a piece of history.

"There was an incredible amount of pictures and stories and reportage on the internet as people downloaded recordings and photos from their phones and cameras."

By the end, Tom's map contained 28 film clips and photographs that showed the torrent of water that rushed through the town centre and outlying areas.

It also showed the impact of the devastation on people's lives, with homes, businesses and vehicles underwater.

The map has now drawn interest from insurance companies and the town council.

Log on to www.geography.org.uk/resources/june2007floods to see the map.