On August 16th 2004 Boscastle experienced a
sudden flash flood due to an unusually heavy localised rainstorm. This
was so unusual, for not just Boscastle but the country as well, that it
made major news headlines. It was certainly the worst flood on record
in Boscastle.
Many properties were damaged in the flood but most of the damage has
now been put right and Boscastle is once again a beautiful place to
visit and spend some time.
The flood was caused by a short but intense rainstorm that was
classified as "extreme", in paces at the peak of the storm 5mm of rain
fell per minute.
This caused a very large flow fo water down the rivers Jordan and
Valency, far more than they could cope with. The peak flow was upto 140
m3/sec and the water was flowing at over 10mph. This caused damage to
many properties in Boscastle and if you saw the TV coverage at the time
you would have seen cars being washed out of the car park and
down-stream towards the sea.
Fortunately nobody was hurt and rescue helicopters helped those who were trapped.
It was fortunately a freak event and the chances of it happening again are very small.
If you are interested in the flood the links to the right have more information.
There is also information about the flood in Boscastle so why not come along and see how well we have recovered. |
|
BBC coverage of the flood
BBC news reports
BBC televsion reports
The Envoronment Agency
A report about the flood
North Cornwall District Council
An information leaflet available from the NCDC |
