News

  • The October 2004 floods in South West England

    The October 2004 floods in South West England

    A great collection of photographs available from BBC Cornwall reveal the widespread flooding in Cornwall on 27th October 2004, and can be accessed here. The combination of high tide, storm surge, and large waves led to considerable overtopping in several coastal towns, and tens of properties in Looe, Fowey, and Penzance were flooded during this event.

  • Towyn floods of 1990: archive video footage of the aftermath

    Towyn floods of 1990: archive video footage of the aftermath

    One of the most severe coastal floods to have affected the UK post-1953 was during 26th – 27th February 1990. Damages were especially severe in Towyn, north Wales, when failure of the sea wall led to a ‘major disaster’. An article produced by the BBC in 2010, on the 30th anniversary of the event, shows striking footage of the flooding. The floods resulted in…

  • SurgeWatch on social media

    SurgeWatch on social media

    Here at SurgeWatch we want to maximise the channels through which we can connect with users. You can now keep up to date with all the latest news and updates via social media by: Talking to us on Twitter Connecting with us on LinkedIn Joining us on Facebook…

  • Typhoon Soudelor: strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge expected to hit south-east Asia

    Typhoon Soudelor: strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge expected to hit south-east Asia

    In the news this week is Typhoon Soudelor (formerly a Super Typhoon but now downgraded) which is expected to make landfall on Saturday and bring destructive winds, heavy rainfall, and a damaging storm surge for parts of south-east Asia, namely Taiwan and China. Soudelor has already wreaked havoc in Saipan Island (east of Taiwan), as shown in the video footage below: https://youtu.be/lWgpgHs48ss On Monday…

  • SURGEDAT: SURGEWATCH’s partner from across the pond!

    SURGEDAT: SURGEWATCH’s partner from across the pond!

    By Matthew Wadey In 2013, whilst we were developing the idea of SurgeWatch, we attended the EVAN (Extreme Value Analysis for Natural Hazards) 2013 conference in Siegen Germany. An outstanding talk was given by “Hurricane” Hal F. Needham of Louisiana State University (LSU) – click here to see it. This presentation described a body of work which focused upon the US Gulf…

  • The November 1977 flood along the Fylde coast: photographs from Cleveleys

    The November 1977 flood along the Fylde coast: photographs from Cleveleys

    During the 11th – 12th November 1977, areas of the Fylde peninsula, Lancashire, on the west coast experienced severe flooding which reportedly saw over 1,800 properties flooded (in many cases to depths of 1 metre above floor level). A collection of stunning photographs made available online reveal the nature of the damages experienced at Cleveleys. In total, around…

  • The 1978 east coast event: storm damages along the Thanet coast, Kent

    The 1978 east coast event: storm damages along the Thanet coast, Kent

    Aerial photograph of Herne Bay Pier, 1937, which was also virtually destroyed during the 1978 storm. By anon (print from original film) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. The 10th – 11th January 1978 east coast event proved a real test for defences along the east coast following the significant improvements made since 1953. While damages were relatively limited, much…

  • How we can save cities from rising sea levels?

    How we can save cities from rising sea levels?

    Barriers, canals and fake islands: how we can save cities from rising sea levels Sally Brown, University of Southampton; Ivan Haigh, University of Southampton, and Robert Nicholls, University of Southampton Extreme storms and rising sea levels will threaten the existence of coastal cities worldwide, unless preventative action is undertaken. With population growth and sea-level rise set to continue, research…