Boscastle flood 2004 case study

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  • Boscastle Flood
    • Causes (Physical)
      • PRECIPITATION
        • 440 million gallons of water.                                         3h 45 mins lag time (short)                            Heavy, thundering showers- remnants of Hurricane Alex                           8 inches of rain into the river.                                8 hours long.                                1 in 400yr event.
      • RELIEF
        • very steep valley sides                             "flashy catchment"
      • VEGETATION
        • Trees on valley sides but some roads without any.                Less vegetation closer to the village
      • TIDAL CONDITIONS
        • Moist winds off sea
      • ANTECEDANT CONDITIONS
        • Ground saturated
    • Effects
      • SHORT TERM
        • Roads blocked by floodwater- emergency access difficult                            Property destroyed by debris.                                        People trapped in buildings- high risk of hypothermia.                              People homeless for the night.                                    Burst sewage pipes and damaged buildings- not accessible for a few days due to health and safety risks.                                     0 deaths.                                   over 100 cars moved.
      • LONG TERM
        • Possessions lost- thousands of £ of damage to 58 houses.                            Repairs needed to be made- time consuming and costly  to local council (£2million).                                 Closed to tourists after flood- loss of town's revenue.                           Tourism may never fully recover, loss of small businesses.
    • Responses
      • Helicopter and other emergency rescue services.
      • Rebuilding and repairs
      • Flood management scheme- new culverts on river Jordan to hold more water.                                         River Valency widened and deepened.                                  Tree management and new car park and bridge.                              Cost £10 million

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