Thames Barrier saves London from flooding in record-breaking tidal surge - Polidicks

[t]http://imgkk.com/i/van5.jpg[/t] [t]http://imgkk.com/i/ju10.jpg[/t] [I]Left: What London would have looked like. Right: The hero.[/I] [url]http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/07/thames-barrier-saved-london-following-biggest-tide-in-60-years-what-the-damage-could-have-been-like-4221964/[/url] [quote]It may sit on the periphery of central London, hidden in the blind spot of ordinary Londoners’ lives – but the Thames Barrier, as it modestly continues its work, appears to have saved a large swathe of London from ruin. The 520-metre wide movable flood barrier is the capital’s main defence against flooding – but what if had never been constructed? Barrier operator, the Environment Agency, has released an image showing ‘the extent of potential flooding in London if the Thames Barrier wasn’t in place during this week’s record-breaking tidal surge, it said. Facing the biggest tide since it opened in 1982, the Thames Barrier was closed on both Thursday and Friday for the 125th and 126th times in its history.[/quote]

i love how they made it almost art-deco with the polished rounded steel tops, those gates just look massive

Where would we be without modern technology to mitigate the effects of natural disasters? fucked, that's where.

[IMG]http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/11/99511-004-CBB31F64.jpg[/IMG] Just going to leave another picture here because of how much I love the Thames Barrier. If you ever get a chance, go to the Thames Barrier park and take a look for yourself. It's awesome!

Dutchmen be jealous

Floodgates are so fucking cool

Wait, so they actually closed them for once?

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;43124689]Dutchmen be jealous[/QUOTE] It's not that big nor impressive: [IMG]http://images0.tcdn.nl/migration_catalog/article20019988.ece/BINARY/q/oosterscheldekering[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.rotterdam.nl/GW/Images/Waterloket/Maeslantkering.jpg[/IMG]

Wow my area would have been entirely flooded.

[QUOTE=joost1120;43124831]Nederlander sterke[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Teddybeer;43124758]Nederlander Stronk[/QUOTE] UK you gotta dam off the English Channel

well that would have been a bother, thanks barry

[QUOTE=joost1120;43124831]It's not that big nor impressive: [IMG]http://www.rotterdam.nl/GW/Images/Waterloket/Maeslantkering.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] How doesn't the water flood over the banks around the gates?

Wasn't there a BBC movie where the barrier fails?

[QUOTE=pentium;43124786]Wait, so they actually closed them for once?[/QUOTE] They close it quite frequently, but I can't remember the last time they closed them for an emergency reason like this.

[QUOTE=pentium;43124786]Wait, so they actually closed them for once?[/QUOTE] For once? 125 times in 31 years, equaling to about 4 times a year on average, yeah, they're never closed!

whats worse theyve closed them more frequently in the last decade than in the first 2 decades before that

[QUOTE=joost1120;43124831] [IMG]http://www.rotterdam.nl/GW/Images/Waterloket/Maeslantkering.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] this picture reminds me a lot of a red alert 2 allied mission.

[QUOTE=RayvenQ;43127123]For once? 125 times in 31 years, equaling to about 4 times a year on average, yeah, they're never closed![/QUOTE] I could of sworn I heard somewhere they never closed them because it would affect shipping up the river.

[QUOTE=pentium;43128728]I could of sworn I heard somewhere they never closed them because it would affect shipping up the river.[/QUOTE] To be fair 4 times a year, probably only for a few hours each time, shouldn't make such a massive difference. I mean if they're closing them, it's not inconcievable that any shipping would either stay at home or weather it out anchored in the sea. I'm pretty sure most port traffic on the Thames is national and european stuff, nothing that comes from very far away or anything. Also boats are slow, it's probably not quite like airports where one delay means a load more down the line.

[QUOTE=Lurklet;43128670]this picture reminds me a lot of a red alert 2 allied mission.[/QUOTE] You mean that one where you start off with a bunch of ships, and have to destroy those 2 Grand Cannons?

pft, that's nothing [img]http://historyofnothing.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/xlg_north_sea_drainage.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;43124609]Where would we be without modern technology to mitigate the effects of natural disasters? fucked, that's where.[/QUOTE] a little bit further away from the river

[QUOTE=pentium;43128728]I could of sworn I heard somewhere they never closed them because it would affect shipping up the river.[/QUOTE] they also test close them once a month

[QUOTE=Mingebox;43129084]You mean that one where you start off with a bunch of ships, and have to destroy those 2 Grand Cannons?[/QUOTE] yes! I think that's the one where you have to destroy a physic beacon? or a nuclear missile silo.

Shame, maybe our esteemed prime minister would've been swept away.

What a shame. London could do with a good clean.

[QUOTE=Lurklet;43132681]yes! I think that's the one where you have to destroy a physic beacon? or a nuclear missile silo.[/QUOTE] You had to destroy a Psychic beacon, but as you did the enemy commander ragequit harder than hard and decided to nuke Chicago gg

[QUOTE=Limed00d;43132907]You had to destroy a Psychic beacon, but as you did the enemy commander ragequit harder than hard and decided to nuke Chicago gg[/QUOTE] now I remember. now I want to play red alert 2.

[QUOTE=Eltro102;43129118]pft, that's nothing [IMG]http://historyofnothing.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/xlg_north_sea_drainage.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] We will reclaim our rightful land! [img]http://nextnature.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/doggerland_530.jpg[/img]

The Thames Barrier has only got a few years left before it becomes useless though. Isn't 2020 the year it can't take rising sea levels?