Coastal Flooding - Towyn Flashcards
Where is it?
NW coast of Wales
What happened + what date?
26th February 1990 Sea defences were breached
What were the physical causes?
Storm surge up to 10m waves
Driven onshore by gale-force winds
Combined with v.high tide
Low-lying topography
What were the human causes?
Inadequate maintenance of hard engineering: 140yr sea wall protecting Towyn had been eroded + breached 14 days earlier = weakened it + vulnerable to damage
What was the result?
400m long breach of Towyn’s sea wall
What were the physical impacts?
Seawater flooded 4 square miles of low-lying land
Farmland = salt water contamination of the soil
Worst areas submerged by up to 2m
What were the Social Impacts?
Over 5000 people affected
1880 homes evacuated
1st 2 weeks = 3000 people in temporary accommodation
1000 not able to return home after 3 months
What are the Economic Impacts?
Cost of restoring flooded homes + businesses = £30 million
Main railway line badly damaged
6000 caravans damaged
40% didn’t have contents insurance = poorest affected more
What was done to protect after?
Rock revetments built on the coast as part of £2 million flood defence scheme
2010: additional 600 000 committed to restore flood banks on either side of river estuary
