LYNMOUTH FLOOD 1952

It happened in August of 1952The size of the river suddenly grewIt tossed and turned and ruined

livesIt killed husbands, children and

wivesThe sun disappeared, the sky

turned greyThis was no longer an ordinary dayThe water rose to 40 feet highYou could here all around the

people cryIn the months before there had

been lots of rainThe ground could no longer

become a drain

The ground trembled, water came crashing

Parents were running, children were splashing

When the water came in there was no place to hide

The river was loud, fast and wideIt came thundering in and took over

the landDestroying houses like a giant’s hand(Chloe – Year 8)

CAUSES

THE ORIGINAL RIVER HAD BEEN NARROWED AND DIVERTED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS IN LYNMOUTH WHICH HAD REDUCED CHANNEL CAPACITY

EXMOOR (SOURCE OF RIVER) – GRANITE (IMPERMEABLE ROCK), RESULTING IN LARGE AMOUNTS OF SURFACE RUNOFF

LYNMOUTH MARKED WITH THE CONFLUENCE OF THE East AND West LYN RIVERS WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER MEETING FROM BOTH RIVERS AFTER THE HEAVY RAIN

DURING THE FLOOD THE RIVER REJOINED ITS ORIGINAL COURSE

A VERY WET AUGUST WITH 12 OUT OF THE FIRST 14 DAYS EXPERIENCING HEAVY RAINFALL RESULTING IN SATURATED GROUND IN EXMOOR.

RELATIVELY SMALL DRAINAGE BASIN WITH STEEP SIDES ENCOURAGING RAPID RUN OFF

TRIGGERED BY TORRENTIAL RAIN (230mm) IN A 14HOUR PERIOD – ONE OF THE 3 BIGGEST RAINFALLS EVER RECORDED IN THE UK.

EFFECTS

DEBRIS BUILT UP BEHIND BRIDGES RESULTING IN THE

BUILD UP OF WATER......

34 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE

DISASTER

90 HOUSES AND

HOTELS WERE

DESTROYED

130 CARS AND BOATS WERE ALSO LOST

WAKE UP WAKE UP

FLOOD MANAGEME

NT

THE MOUTH OF THE EAST LYNN WAS WIDENED TO INCREASE CAPACITY AND ALLOW WATER TO QUICKLY PASS INTO THE BISTROL CHANNEL

WEST LYN HAS STRAIGHTENED TO INCREASE CHANNEL EFFICIENCY, IT HAS NOT BE REDIVERTED , INSTEAD ITS BEING ALLOWED TO FOLLOW ITS NATURAL COURSE

FLOODPLAIN ZONING WAS USED TO IDENTIFY AREAS AROUND THE RIVER MOST AT RISK FROM FLOODING. BUILDING RESTRICTIONS WERE PUT IN PLACE WITH AREAS CLOSE TO THE RIVER.

BRIDGES WERE MADE WIDER AND TALLER TO ALLOW FLOOD WATER TO TRAVEL QUICKLY BENEATH THEM.

EMBANKMENTS WERE BUILT BY THE RIVER TO INCREASE CHANNEL CAPACITY AND REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF FLOODING

MORE TREES WERE PLANTED UPSTREAM IN THE SOURCE AREA TO TRY AND REDUCE INITIAL SURFACE RUNOFF THROUGH INTERCEPTION AND THE SOAKING UP OF WATER. TREE ROOTS ALSO HELP TO IMPROVE INFILTRATION BY OPENING UP THE SOIL AND SLOWING DOWN THE RATE OF WATER AT WHICH WATER REACHES THE GROUND.