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Boscastle Floods, 16th August 2004
Location
Boscastle is located on the north coast on Cornwall at the base of a steep sided valley. The village is heavily reliant on tourism to provide income in the summer months especially.
Causes
A mid-atlantic depression formed out at sea. There were unusual localised weather conditions over the North Cornwall coast. The winds forced the air over the valley and caused the weather system to sit over the village for longer than usual. As a result the clouds dropped 8 inches of rain. This is the equivalent of one months rainfall in just 4 hours. It is estimated that at the height on the storm 100 tonnes of water per second were pouring into Boscastle.
On the Monday, Boscastle was nearing a spring tide (a periodic high tide occurring each lunar month). The heavy rain began around midday in north Cornwall, when low tide occurred. Over the next 7 hours Boscastle and the surrounding area was subjected to torrential downpours with an incoming tide.
The heavy showers continued to generate in the same place as the southwest breeze along the coast came up against the high ground. The air was forced up, resulting in further showers, and by late afternoon, colossal thunderstorms. The topography around Boscastle did not help. Several inches of rain collected in streams and the River Valency, over the high ground around Boscastle. This rain funnelled down the easiest path down to the sea - via Boscastle.
So this flash flood resulted from a combination of torrential rain, Spring tides, local topography and all the river feeds near to Boscastle. The steep sided valleys on either side of the village caused the torrent of water. The amount of debris in the water courses also raised river levels.
Effects
•· Two to three feet of mud and silt was deposited in houses.
•· Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from the village.
•· RAF helicopters were used to airlift 150 people from buildings. Fire and emergency teams were brought in from all over the county of Cornwall.
•· Local businesses including the Wellington Hotel, local gift shops and food stores were gutted
•· Cars, buildings and trees were swept out sea.
Future flood prevention
•· Clearance of trees and vegetation has taken place.
•· A larger culvert to carry the water through the village has been constructed.
•· Proposal by the Environment Agency for strict limits on future development around Boscastle.
The Environment Agency (EA) is warning planners to think carefully before allowing shops demolished in the Boscastle floods to be rebuilt. North Cornwall Council's planning committee has deferred two applications to rebuild shops in the harbour area, which the EA says are in a flood plain. The floods on Monday 16 August caused millions of pounds of damage. Mike Robins, the EA's planning and corporate services manager, said: "We are giving planners an idea of the potential risk of new and redeveloped buildings.
D.Drake 2009
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