Storm Event
‘A section of the sea wall in Dawlish, Devon, collapsed and left the railway to Cornwall suspended in mid-air.’
Source
Wales and southern England faced extremely dangerous and damaging conditions as a result of combination of storm force winds, high tides, and tidal surges (Met Office, 2014). The damage was made worse by the cumulative effect of the sequence of storms arriving one after another.
Pathway
In Dawlish, Devon, a section of sea wall collapsed leaving the railway to Cornwall suspended in mid-air (BBC, 2014).
Receptor and Consequence
Many coastal communities in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset experienced coastal flooding and damage to infrastructure, buildings and sea defences. Key rail link towards Cornwall was severed at Dawlish due to large waves (Met Office, 2014).
In Devon, waves severely smashed the front of four buildings causing the homes to be evacuated on the seafront Torcross. Several roads were reported flooding, including Shore Road and Lilliput Road at Sandbanks (Burrows, 2017). The Quay and Hamworthy Park at Poole were also flooded (Burrows, 2017).
In East Sussex, trains were suspended between Bexhill and Hastings following a report of flood from Bexhill. A significant section of the West Pier, Brighton collapsed after battling high winds and stormy seas (BBC, 2014).
Chichester also reported damaged to buildings, businesses and homes following flood at Emsworth high street (Lawrence, 2017). At Hurst Spit, large amount of shingle washed away from Hurst Spit, reducing it to as little as 1 metre wide (normally 10 metres wide) (Bragg, 2015). Pyramids Centre electrical room were also flooded. In Wales, a number of roads were redirected as a result of flood (BBC, 2014).
Summary Table
| Loss of life | * |
| Residential property | Homes were flooded at Devon, Cornwall, and West Sussex. |
| Evacuation & Rescue | 20 people were evacuated from Kingsand, Cornwall. Homes were evacuated in Torcross, Devon sea front. |
| Cost | * |
| Ports | * |
| Transport | Trains were suspended between Bexhill and Hastings following a report of flood from Bexhill. A number of roads in Wales were closed by flooding. |
| Energy | * |
| Public services | * |
| Water & wastewater | * |
| Livestock | * |
| Agricultural land | * |
| Coastal erosion | * |
| Natural environment | * |
| Cultural heritage | * |
| Coastal defences | A section of sea wall in Dawlish, Devon collapsed. |
*No known sources of information available
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References
- Met Office, (2014). February 2014. Climate Summaries. Available at: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/summaries (Accessed: 6 August 2018).
- BBC, (2014). ‘UK storms destroy railway line and leave thousands without power’. BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26042990 (Accessed: 23 April 2019).
- Burrows, S. (2017). Analysis of Historical Coastal Floods in Dorset from 1935 -2014. Southampton Undergraduate Thesis.
- Lawrence, A. (2017). A Historical Analysis of Coastal Flooding in South-East England 1924-2016. Southampton Undergraduate Thesis.
- Bragg, O. (2015). Coastal Floods of the 2013/2014 Season in the Solent. Southampton Undergraduate Thesis.