40 Marks Discuss The Impacts Essay

40(Marks) Discuss the impacts of storm events in the British Isles and evaluate the responses to them (40 marks

One of the main storms events that took place in the British Isles was the storm of 1987 It took place on the 15th and 16th of October and was also known as the great storm. There were many impacts and responses to this event.
The storm had dramatic impacts on the British Isles ranging from environmental, economic and social. The depression developed over the Bay of Biscay, it was forecasted that it will travel over France and was not thought to be a threat that needed urgent response, however unexpectedly it quickly began to deviate north and because the change in direction was so unexpected the outcome of the storm had a huge impact on the British isles.
It impacted the environment the most. An estimated 15 million trees were uprooted; countless amounts were damaged in just a few hours, wind speeds were recorded at speeds in excess of 160 km/h (approximately 100mp/h or 86 knots)they wreaked havoc across woodlands and plantations. At Toys Hill, the highest point in Kent, about 98% of the woodland including many veteran beech trees that had been the hillside for centuries were lost. It was estimated by experts it could take up to 20 years or even more to have the trees planted and regrown again.
There were also social impacts of the storm, 19 people lost their lives most of the people were in the area where the storm hit first (South East of England). A number of these deaths were due to the victims vehicles being crushed by the trees that fell. Two of the victims of the storm were fire fighters who were on a rescue mission. Over 20,000 homes were left without electricity meaning it was almost impossible for anyone to communicate as the majority of telephone lines were also damaged and blown down. A combination of Trees blocking the roads and telephone lines being blown down made it very difficult to carry out rescue missions at a certain point it got so bad emergency services such as ambulances were advised not to even try to get to work due to the high risks it carried. Caravan parks were wrecked, Buildings collapsed, A ship capsized at Dover and Numerous small boats were wrecked or blown away, with one ship being blown over and a Channel ferry was blown ashore near Folkestone.
The storm had many economic impacts too for example trees and debris blocked roads which lead to loss of working hours for many businesses. A large number of people also lost their jobs, some areas were so badly affected that small businesses mainly the ones without insurance or sufficient savings were forced to stay closed for months or even in some cases permanently as they could not afford to pay for the damages and repairs. The overall damage caused by the storm cost insurance companies over £2 billion. The NHS (National Health Service) was also affected financially as hospitals were filled with the injured.
There were very many responses to this event;

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