Tidal wave coming (serious)

[driddles]

Breaking news on Virgin Radio - stay dry!

Tidal Flood Threat To East Coast
Updated:18:52, Thursday November 08, 2007

A "major tidal surge" which could lead to disastrous flooding is threatening to hit the east coast over the next 48 hours.

Tidal surge could cause floodingA flood expert has told Sky News unless swift action is taken "we could have a significant number of deaths."

The Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said a surge "of up to three metres is making its way down the North Sea."

Mr Benn told the House of Commons the fierce wave "could coincide with peak high-tide."

"There is a risk of flood defences being toppled on the coast, particularly in East Anglia, the Norfolk Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth, including Lowestoft."

Sky News weather presenter Francis Wilson said: "Some time in the small hours of tomorrow morning, exceptionally high waves in that area could cause the flooding the Environment Minister was talking about."

"The highest surges will hit Rotterdam tomorrow morning."

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Must go and find my wellies. If Grimsby gets submerged at least the property values will go up as we will all have a water feature in the garden.

 

[Caveman]

I'll have my board out ready and waiting.

 

[REDLAND]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7085394.stm

you know its serious when they close the Thames Barrier

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Is this a local flood for local people? Or are we expecting a tidal surge down this way too?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Is this a local flood for local people? Or are we expecting a tidal surge down this way too?

I am sure those the local people and those in the near vicinity would be friendly and generous enough to share the excitement of this big event.

Since when has Rotterdam been on the East Coast of England?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

They keep on mentioning 1953 in news reports about this story. Not having been around then, nor heard of such a catastrophe, I looked it up:

"The greatest surge on record for the North Sea as a whole occurred on 31 January and 1 February 1953. Its amplitude reached 2.74 m at Southend in Essex, 2.97 m at King's Lynn in Norfolk and 3.36 m in the Netherlands.

Almost 100,000 hectares of eastern England were flooded and 307 people died. In the Netherlands, 50 dykes burst and 1,800 people drowned.

During the afternoon of 31 January, the shingle spit of Spurn Head in Yorkshire was breached. Soon after darkness fell, Lincolnshire bore the brunt of the storm. Sand was scoured from beaches and sand hills, timber-piled dunes were breached, the landward slopes of embankments were eroded, concrete sea walls crumbled, the promenades of Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea were wrecked, and saline water from the North Sea flooded agricultural land.

Later that evening, embankments around The Wash were overtopped and people were drowned in northern Norfolk. Fifteen died in King's Lynn and another 65 between there and Hunstanton. At Wells-next-the-Sea, a 160-ton vessel was left high and dry on the quay.

In 1953, because many telephone lines in Lincolnshire and Norfolk had been brought down by the wind, virtually no warnings of the storm's severity were passed to counties farther south until it was too late. Suffolk and Essex suffered most.

By midnight, Felixstowe, Harwich and Maldon had been flooded, with much loss of life. Soon after midnight, the sea walls on Canvey Island collapsed and 58 people died. At Jaywick in Clacton, the sea rose a metre in 15 minutes and 35 people drowned.

The surge travelled on. From Tilbury to London's docklands, oil refineries, factories, cement works, gasworks and electricity generating stations were flooded and brought to a standstill.

In London's East End, 100 metres of sea wall collapsed, causing more than 1,000 houses to be inundated and 640,000 cubic metres of Thames water to flow into the streets of West Ham. The BP oil refinery on the Isle of Grain was flooded, and so too was the Naval Dockyard at Sheerness"



Just as a point of interest, bearing in mind the details above, the Environment Agency were predicting a surge tonight around Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth of about 2.9metres. Get the sandbags in.

 

[Clothes Peg]

For the first time, I am glad that I live in Wales.

 

[Yorkie]

I am sure those the local people and those in the near vicinity would be friendly and generous enough to share the excitement of this big event.

Since when has Rotterdam been on the East Coast of England?

It's at the 'lower end' of the North Sea. So much of Holland is reclaimed land I should imagine it is almost going to be a disaster there if the surge is 3 metres high.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

It's at the 'lower end' of the North Sea. So much of Holland is reclaimed land I should imagine it is almost going to be a disaster there if the surge is 3 metres high.

So in answer to my question, it is not. There was no reference to Holland in that article, other than Rotterdam. To the discerning reader, they may be searching high and low across the East Coast to pinpoint its exact whereabouts. Thankfully, I studied the land reclamation in depth for Geography A-Level, so I was able to pinpoint its exact location. Sloppy journalism!

Good luck Holland!!

 

[itszamora]

For the first time, I am glad that I live in Wales.

I concur, though Sussex shouldn't be at risk either.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Just had a little look at 'tides' on the BBC website. Bristol,has the second highest tidal range in the world. 15 metres plus, near Avonmouth.

 

[Superseagull]

Just had a little look at 'tides' on the BBC website. Bristol,has the second highest tidal range in the world. 15 metres plus, near Avonmouth.

I worked on the lock gate project at Portishead marina right next to Avonmouth. It was really amazing how far and quickly the water levels would drop. The amount of green electricity that could be generated from such a tidal range is huge.

 

[REDLAND]

according to the BBC much of London will look like this at 7.00 tomorrow morning

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Super,one would imagine a human being or a small to ?? medium size sailing craft would struggle against the tide,if in differculty ?

 

[perseus]

In February 1983 an unreported tidal surge put an extra metre on the high tide in Shoreham.

In 1953, like this one the surge comes aroud the north of Scotland and funnels down the North Sea. Flooding then stopped south at north Kent.

 

[perseus]

I think it is already past high tide at Lowestoft.

It is about 2 pm in Holland.

 

[Bozza]

I worked on the lock gate project at Portishead marina right next to Avonmouth. It was really amazing how far and quickly the water levels would drop. The amount of green electricity that could be generated from such a tidal range is huge.

There is very serious talk of building a big tidal generating barrier thing right across the Bristol channel from Weston to South Wales.

I live near Clevedon just down the coast from Portishead and when the tide goes out, it doesn't do the job by halves.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Redland is that not Palace by the sea

 

[perseus]

I think the surge is going to occur on a falling tide, well past high tide and there should NOT be any flooding?