[article] UK Autumn Tidal Flooding Threat

mike65

Its proberly not going to happen on a 1953 scale but it looks like people in the East of England are being prepared for the highest tides in twenty years in Sept/Oct

from telegraph

though sea defences in East Anglia have been improved and could cope with the spring tides on the way over the next two months, the fear is that high winds and low pressure could lead to a storm surge, resulting in a tide up to 10ft higher than expected.

Such conditions in 1953 led to the "great flood" that claimed 300 lives, damaged 24,000 homes and flooded 180,000 acres of land. Similar conditions in 1978 led to equally widespread flooding but, thanks to the lessons learned after 1953, no deaths.

"We are taking the latest threat seriously," said Geoffrey Smith, the mayor of Hunstanton, north Norfolk, which is in the most vulnerable area. "But flooding is something that you learn to live with around here and you take the necessary precautions.

"The problem seems to be exacerbated by the trend to build on every square metre of land you can find. But the people most at risk are in the caravan parks, many of which are close to the coast and often at or below sea level."

Prof Andrew Watkinson, of the University of East Anglia's Schools of Environmental and Biological Sciences, said the risk of flooding would increase as sea levels rose and because of a predicted worsening of storm surges. Given limited resources, the Environment Agency was reviewing its sea defences policy to determine where it was fighting a losing battle and would have to cede land to the sea.

There was also, he added, a need for tougher building regulations. "For homes in vulnerable areas these should offer more protection by insisting, for instance, that houses are constructed of materials that can withstand flooding, electrical sockets are placed higher up and air vents are fitted with barriers."

Prof Watkinson added that some of the "hard" coastal defences erected since 1953 had had an adverse effect on flood prevention because they had prevented the forming of natural, sediment barriers.

"There is a growing realisation that we should be moving towards a more flexible coastal policy," he said.

Will this activity be applicable to Dublin, in particular?

Mike.

No, I don't believe that Dublin will be affected in the same way as the east of england (and holland & Belgium).

This is because of the "funnel" effect, any south bound surge tides in the north sea get funneled into a narrow channel where the north sea narrows between Norfolk and Zeeland (its also shallower) the tide is amplified thus increasing the risk of flooding.

The Irish sea on the other hand doesn't have the same characteristics.