Storm Surges Case Study Flashcards
What were the facts about the 1953 storm surge (when and where)?
It was on 31st January affecting the East Coast. It was labelled as a 1 in 50 year event.
What were the facts about the 1953 storm surge (extra facts)?
In the 1950s there was no stations operating at night when warnings were needed. Phone lines were not working. The tidal surge exceeded 5.6m (18.4ft) above mean sea level. Most coastal defences were damages
What were the impacts of the 1953 storm surge?
307 people were killed in the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. In Felixstowe 41 people dies, 13 of whom were children. 1600km of coastline was damaged. 24000 homes were damaged, 40000 people made homeless and 32000 people were evacuated. Infrastructure was put out of action.
What were the responses of the 1953 storm surge?
An official service for forecasting coastal flooding - the Storm Tides Warning Service - was established within the Met Office. The Thames Barrier was constructed and a sea wall and groynes were installed in Sea Palling
What where the facts of the 2013 storm surge?
Was on the 6th December also affected large areas of the east coast. High winds led to a 7m surge. This caused the worst flooding since 1953.
What were the impacts of the 2013 storm surge?
Two people died, 1400 homes were flooding (300 in Lincolnshire, 500 in the Humber region), thousands of residence were evacuated Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Lincolnshire, cost of damage at £100 million, natural reserves were affected by floods and freshwater habitats were polluted with salt water.
What were the future plans after the 2013 storm surge?
Global Warming and sea level rise will make events such as the 1953 and 2013 storm surges more common and more destructive. These events are occurring on average once every 50 years. This will change to once every 20 years in the future.
