Introduction The summer of 2007 went down in history as the time when floods necessitated the greatest disaster response effort that was not associated with conflict in the history of the United Kingdom (Mckie 2007, para.2). The months of June and July saw the bombardment of areas such as Oxfordshire, South Wales and Berkshire with heavy rains. The high level of anxiety among members of the public was hard to miss as they agonized over destroyed property and the extended impact of the flood. The agencies that were involved in the rescue mission such as the Environmental agency and the government were also concerned over the impact of the calamity on people’s lives in particular and resources in general. The rescue effort was remarkable and a semblance of return to normalcy in the affected areas is evident. In this report, the causes of the flooding and the immediate impact and significant risks of the floods will be examined. Also, the agencies that were involved in the rescue mission and the role they played during the recovery period will be discussed. The report will also explore the environmental management systems in place and the lessons learned from the floods. Recommendations to avoid future flooding or reduce its effects will also be made. Causes of the Flooding The simplest answer that can be given when the question of what caused the floods is asked is that heavy rain is responsible. But this is a naïve answer that does not address the bigger issues associated with significant weather and climatic conditions such as flooding. The causes of the flood range from a climatic shift that threatens to throw human life into misery to the nature of the land in which the flooding occurred.  1. The nature of the land : As far as the nature of the land is concerned, flooding is common in low lying plains. Places of this kind have poor drainage for rain water since there is no sufficient gradient in the slope to the nearest water body. Therefore the rain water just accumulates in the surface leading to floods. This situation complicates matters if the area in question is under human or animal habitation. The areas that flooded in Sheffield have this type of geographical disposition to a high degree and this is why the flooding would not be escaped. This is however a minor issue as far as flooding is concerned. The larger issue is discussed hereunder.  1. Climatic changes : In recent times, most parts of the world are witnessing weather conditions that have not been recorded for a long time. The snow capped mountains around the world are losing their snow caps and ice regions in the north and the south poles are disappearing at rates that are alarming (Houghton 1997, pp.12-14).Other occurrences that are equally a source of concern are rising ocean and sea levels as well as the increase in desert areas in most parts of the world (Mathez 2009, pp.23-25). Long spells of droughts in parts of Africa and the Americas and floods such as the one in Sheffield are all products of these drastic climatic shifts. What is the cause of this climatic shifts or changes? The debate over the possible cause of these climatic changes is still on and there seems to be controversy