Emergency response to breach and consequent failure of coastal infrastructure

摘要

In December 2013 localities on the east coast of the United Kingdom suffered severe damage due to the highest tidal surge for 60 years. One of the sites affected was at Greatham Creek on Teesside, United Kingdom, where a flood embankment was overtopped and then breached, forming a 45m wide gap in the estuarine defences. The resultant flooding inundated well heads belonging to the local chemical industry, which use defunct brine caverns under the site as a buffer to store organic chemicals from the local processing plant. This area was categorised as a Control of Major Accident Hazard (Regulations) site. Concerns were raised about the operability and integrity of the wellheads under these conditions. This paper describes the emergency response by the Environment Agency plus its term contractors and its consultants; the short and long term remedial measures for the breach; and the constraints under which the team had to work.