Thread by @TE2100Plan

Today we’re marking 70 years since the one of the biggest natural disasters in recent UK history. The #Thames Estuary was one of the places worst hit.
This is a story of tragedy and devastation, but it led to changes that make millions of us safer today. A short thread 🧵 (1/11)

On the night of 31 Jan 1953, as people slept, 3 things led to catastrophe:
1) low pressure pulled water from the Atlantic making a bulge in the North Sea;
2) winds from the NW blew the bulge of water south;
3) it was around full moon, when tides are strongest. (2/11)

Disaster struck as the bulge of water reached the coast. Sea walls were breached in over 1000 places, causing widespread flooding from Yorkshire to Kent. The #ThamesEstuary was badly hit. #Canvey Island and parts of north Kent were inundated. (3/11)

307 people in England lost their lives on land. Tens of thousands more suffered injuries, exposure and trauma as they dealt with the devastation left behind. Across the North Sea, the Netherlands also suffered terribly. (4/11)

As the waters receded, communities rebuilt. Stories of heroism and kindness emerged. In Canvey, PC Bill Pilgrim noticed the sea was already high hours before high tide. He woke a resident in each street, asking them to alert their neighbours. Image: canveyisland.org (5/11)

The Government set up the Waverley Committee to investigate the floods. It made recommendations to avoid a recurrence. These included new warning systems and engineering structures, which were created. (6/11)

Today, the Thames Estuary has 330 km of walls and embankments, protecting us to a much higher standard than in 1953. This is the wall at Canvey. (7/11)

We have 9 major flood barriers, including the Thames Barrier. These protect us from the tide during storm surges and when high tides coincide with high water levels flowing down the Thames. The Thames Barrier has closed to protect London over 200 times since 1982. (8/11)

70 years on from the floods, we face a different challenge. Sea levels are rising due to climate change and the gradual sinking of the south of the UK. Our defences are ageing and more people live in the Thames floodplain. (9/11)

The @EnvAgency is working with partners to counter the risk of another major flood, through the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan. The Plan includes options to upgrade defences and replace the Thames Barrier as sea levels rise. A 1 min intro 👇 (10/11)

Find out more about the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan at bit.ly/te2100

And keep an eye out! 👀A decade after publishing the Plan, it’s getting a full review. We’ll publish the updated Plan this spring.

@EnvAgencySE