Flashback: The 1953 North Sea Floods

Kris · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

What with the recent flooding of the UK Isles I stumbled across this interesting website about the North Sea floods in 1953. I don't know about you but almost everyone in my workplace is acting as if we haven't had anything like severe meteorological conditions combining with high tides and high river levels before.

Interestingly the 1953 floods occurred at the end of January too.

"On the evening of 31 January 1953, a great storm surge swept down the east coast of England and overcame the fragile sea defences, leaving 307 people drowned or dead from the effects of exposure, before crossing the English Channel into Holland, where 1795 people perished. This was the worst natural disaster to befall the British Isles during the twentieth century yet, surprisingly, the story of the Big Flood, with its tales of human courage and the heroic response to sudden catastrophe, was rapidly relegated to a footnote in the history of post-war Britain."

https://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/363/1831/1293/F9.large.jpg

https://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/363/1831/1293.full
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arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

I agree, BUT, and it's a big but, the 53 east coast storm surge caused so much damage because the coastline wasn't particularly defended. Coastal systems are much better understood nowadays and defences have been significantly improved in most vulnerable areas and yet these new defences have now been overcome.

If you look at the pictures of Canvey in your link you'll spot the obvious lack of sea wall. Go to Canvey now and see what it looks like:

https://www.christophersomerville.co.uk/images/430919a.jpeg

T'was a sea-front pub with a small slope down to the beach in '53

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

England is sinking into the sea while Scotland is rising at such a rate it may counteract the effects of sea level rise due to climate change.

Dance!

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arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

map · Mr Calendar Joined: 14 Jun 2004 Karma :

kawakid · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Karma :

I'm soo glad I live on a hill. I would not ever buy a house on the flat.

Luckily where I live we have lots of hills.

Feel sorry for those poor beggers though.

But... When Hull was flooded just 7 years ago, there was no report of it on national news for nearly a week and around 17,000 homes affected.

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/6270236.stm

The Southern bias of this country is unbelievable.
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