FLOOD........the Movie

ivan burit · FLOOD........the Movie

Its not many things that keep me quiet for 2 hours, but this new film did.

below is what the Environment Agency has put on its own website..

Flood - The Movie

Distributors Lionsgate have released Flood, a disaster movie that deals with a fictional scenario that sees London flooded.

This briefing note addresses some of the facts behind the fiction.

In the film, tidal measurements from Scotland are used to warn workers on the Thames Barrier about the danger of flooding. Does this happen in real life?

We receive tide level data (and the associated time of the measurement) from the following locations every 15 minutes:

Wick, North Shields, Immingham, Lowestoft, Newhaven

In addition we get the same data every minute from:

Southend, Sheerness, Tilbury, Erith, Silvertown, Thames Barrier, Charlton, Tower Pier, Westminster, Chelsea, Richmond

We also measure and monitor the rate of fluvial flow at Teddington.

Using this information we monitor all tidal movements down the East coast. These measurements are essential for the computer modelling that we use to predict the need for a Barrier closure.

How do we actually close the Barrier and how many times has it been closed?

The Barrier is closed from the control tower on the south bank. It is closed using computer software that activates equipment on each pier and moves the gates into action. There are also local control rooms on the structure from where gates can also be moved but there are no underwater control rooms as depicted in the film.

The Thames Barrier puts a wall of steel right across the river. This stops the incoming tide that builds up against the curved surface of the steel gates, from moving up the river into London. To July 07 there have been 103 flood defence closures and over 200 test closures.

How long does it take to close the Barrier?

The Thames Barrier is usually closed over a period of two hours or more as the gates are used to slow the flow of the river - before stopping the tide completely. This avoids a reflective wave and ensures a gentle process for river users, the bed of the river and the Barrier itself.

Where do we stand on the possibility of the tidal flooding of London?

The Thames Barrier and associated defences currently provide London and most of the Thames estuary with a flood defence standard of 1:2000 years (0.05 per cent risk of flooding in any given year) - a world class level of protection. With sea level rise that level of protection will gradually decline as planned to a 1:1000 year (0.1%) by the year 2030. This is still a very high standard of protection, but if improvements are not made in the future the defence standard will continue to fall ultimately reaching unacceptable levels of risk.

We have a current project called Thames Estuary 2100 that will report to Government in the coming years on options for Flood Risk Management for the next 100 years for the tidal Thames.

What are we doing to manage the impact of climate change in the future?

Our project Thames Estuary 2100 (TE 2100) involves creating a plan that will recommend to government what we have to do to tackle increasing flood risk, over the next 100 years. We will submit the final plan to Defra in 2009.

It will identify where work is needed and when it is required over the coming century, depending on climate change. We are looking at a range of options from traditional defences to less hard engineered options that work more with the natural processes of the river. This includes setting defences back to provide more space for flood water in the river channel, and identifying areas in the floodplain that can be used to store floodwaters during high risk flood conditions.

Early findings tell us that depending upon the climate change scenario faced, the Thames Barrier, with some adaptation, will be able to provide continued protection to London to the end of the century.

We have identified a number of undeveloped areas in the estuary where flood storage might be possible and will work in combination with the Thames Barrier to manage rising water levels. We are currently assessing these further to see whether they are suitable and acceptable in terms of economics, environment and benefits to the community.

Why are new houses still being built in the floodplain?

Development and urban regeneration provide a crucial opportunity to manage flood risk. New development in the Thames Estuary floodplain can be acceptable if it is built in the right places and is designed to keep communities safe. By improving the way that new developments are located, designed and built we can reduce the consequences of tidal flooding, in the unlikely event it happens.

They should be designed and located to manage the risk of flooding so that people are safe in the event of a flood. This might be through a range of measures such as providing safe access routes, avoiding sleeping accommodation on the ground floor, providing emergency warning systems or evacuation plans. We need to avoid allowing development right up to the defences. This limits our ability to move or raise those defences in the future as we adapt to climate change.

Why is the Environment Agency supporting the film?

The film is a complete work of fiction and portrayed as such but perfect for the big/small screen. The story line is far-fetched, suspending reality. It is very dramatic and over the top - as disaster movies are designed to be.

The film is not based on fact. Recent modelling that the extreme conditions you would need to overtop the Barrier would in reality not occur. It is true that London is at risk of flooding but a flood like this would never occur.

We have been working with the production company as the publicity for a film such as this provides us with an opportunity to get across the true function and role of the Thames Tidal Defence System to a wider audience.

If it raises awareness of the risk of flooding and means that people living and working in London visit our website to find out their level of risk, then from our point of view our involvement will have been worthwhile.

We also hope that this film will encourage other producers to use our great capital as a film set.

A statement will be made in the credits, that the film does not intend to portray the actual operation of the Thames Barrier or Environment Agency (our) procedures.

Photo of Flood used with permission of Lionsgate films.

amenity

This tends to bring back my early days working as a technician for london Transport in the sixties. Evenin those days it was brought home to me how insecure London actually is. Near the Temple station and elsewhere I'm assured there are installed huge waterproof gates that slide into place across the underground track in the event that the Thames spill over the river defences, when I asked what would happen if a train was situated on the wrong side of the barrier and therefore trapped the answer was negative. To save London some would have no support.