A flash flood that shocked the country. Boscastle flood A flash flood that shocked the country.

Location Boscastle is located on the north coast of Cornwall ,14 miles south of Bude .

Boscastle : before and after Boscastle was a quiet scenic village until a disaster struck and washed away a lot of Boscastle with it . Before After

Natural Contributors The rainfall on the afternoon of 16 August 2004, was heavy. 200.4 mm (8 inches) of rain fell over the high ground just inland from the village. At the very height of the downpour , that occurred around 15:45, 24mm fell in just 15 minutes in Lensnweth. In 1 hour , at Boscastle, it was recorded that 89 mm of rain fell in just . This torrential rain caused the river levels to rise 7ft in 1 hour. A 10 ft wave then shot down the main road Water speed was in excess of 4 m/s (10 mph), more than sufficient to cause structural damage. It is estimated that 2 million tonnes water flowed through Boscastle alone that day.

Human Factors Sewage systems in Boscastle were old and small so they couldn’t cope with the large amount of rain around the time of the flood. There was very little preparation for such a flood there were no raised banks or drainage ditches There was also structures blocking the water causing the flow to widen and spread the water

Characteristics It was estimated that 440 million gallons of water flowed through the rural village The Boscastle flood was said to have been a 1 in 400yr event. Although it was 1 of the most extreme floods to have hit Britain, no one was killed at the Boscastle flood .

Short Term Effects Roads were blocked off by the floodwater, making it difficult for emergency services to access some areas Properties were destroyed by debris. People were trapped in there houses by the rising water level, they had to take refuge on roofs of buildings

Long Term Effects Floodwater damaged houses .pocessions were lost or ruined,causing thousands of pounds worth of damage The flood did not only affect the residents of Boscastle but the insurance companies too. It will cost much more to insure houses in Boscastle . The village’s main trade,tourism, was affected. The town had to shut down for tourists.

Eyewitness Account

Preventing There was a £4.5 million pound flood defence built to protect the village from further flooding

Sources www.multimap.com