Geography - The Coastal Zone - Rising Sea Levels - London CASE STUDY

London CASE STUDY - What would happen if London Flooded

Causes Global Warming - this causes the ice caps to melt, thermal expansion and increased storms (which causes storm surges) Isostatic Change (rising and falling of land)

Social Impacts 1.25 million people living in flood risk areas will have to evacuated, which many leave thousands homeless and overcrowd non flooded areas There will be large scale unemployment 20-25 hospitals, 400 schools, 26 underground stations, an airport and several power stations will be at risk of flooding Schools and hospitals hit will be out of action for many months as any structural damage and problems with writing, heating and sanitation will have to be resolved, also there will be need for extensive cleaning particularly in hospitals due to contamination. Much equipment will be broken and damaged in hospitals and schools such as any medical equipment eg. CT and MRI scanners and computers also.

Infrastructural Impacts The flood waters many move at speed and carry rubble which will batter and damage the buildings, this damage may be visible immediately, however subsidence may take time to show. There will be widespread disruption to local power supplies, fuse junction boxes and wiring will have to be replaced which may take months. Gas supplies will also be severely affected; pipes permeated by water will need to be drained before supply can be restored. Telecommunications will be severely disrupted, 30 to 40 BT exchanges are in the flood zone and all of BT’s main cables enter at basement level. The London Underground will be severely hit, the central zones and lines south of the river will be completely flooded; which could potentially result in massive loss of life.

Economic Impacts The underground will be severely affected leaving 3 million people unable to get to work. Shops and businesses in the flood zone will have to be closed, most stock and fittings will be wrecked and many records lost. Smaller firms are likely to fold; larger ones may struggle for survival. The tourist trade will cease Many international business based in London will likely relocate A Large scale and long lasting recession will likely hit due to impaired productivity Billions of pounds will have to be spent in repairs Insurance companies are unlikely to be able to compensate damages A financial meltdown is likely

Environmental Impacts Contamination due to breaches at sewage treatment plants resulting in large outbreaks of: Water born diseases such as typhoid and cholera, E.coli; which may cause diarrhoea or even kidney and brain damage, Salmonella and the parasite protozoa cryptosporidium; which may cause acute gastroenteritis, The fatal Weil’s disease, And possibly Hepatitis A especially among the young.