Discuss the impacts of storm events in the British Isles and evaluate the responses to them (40 marks)
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The British Isles has a cool temperate western maritime climate including four seasons and various weather conditions. Storms come and go some so weak they are unnoticed and some bring in heavy winds and torrential rain and thunder. Depressions are areas of low atmospheric pressure which produce cloudy, rainy and windy weather. These low-pressure systems often begin in the Atlantic, moving eastwards towards the UK. They are responsible for the UK's changeable weather. A storm event we will look at in the British Isles happened in 1987. The storm struck the South West & South East of England which devastated buildings and left 12 people dead. This global location is prone to depressions. The storm was initially directed towards northern France and Europe but veered up to the U.K. The sea water from the surrounding ocean flooded people’s homes causing people to flee their homes and evacuate. This cost England thousands of pounds including insurance claims. The surrounding tide from the sea was said to have raised by around 2 to 3 meters. Approximately 40 mm of rain and hail fell in the course of a few hours. The main cause of deaths was mainly from flooding and high wind speeds – up to 108mph. Anything loose was flying around including roof tiles and debris.
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The main primary impacts were homes damaged by strong winds and flooding of properties. The National Grid sustained heavy damage during the event, as crashing cables began to short circuit and overheat the main system. Many windows of houses were also broken. Slates from roofs of buildings came crashing down which