Land’s End of world as we know it Ooh Arr-pocalypse Now... Cornish tsunami fears A MASSIVE earthquake off Portugal could trigger a tsunami which would decimate Britain’s coastline, boffins warned last night. The Scilly Isles and swathes of Cornwall, including Land’s End, face being wiped off the map by a repeat of a monster tremor which destroyed Lisbon and killed tens of thousands in 1755. Fears of the natural disaster were raised at a crisis summit of police, town planners and emergency services. In a heated debate, members told of their worries that Britain could suffer its own version of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which devastated Indonesia and the South Asian coast. Scientists were last night drawing up emergency plans to cope with a deadly wave, which could strike without warning. A quake would send a 10ft wave powering towards the UK, swamping the tip of Cornwall within six hours. Officials want an early warning system to alert bathers and coastal dwellers, similar to the sort of technology used across Asia and America. Paul Netherton, assistant chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We have to ask the question of the scientific community — what and where would be the impact?” Britain was last hit by a tsunami in 1755 — the year of the great Lisbon earthquake, the Bristol meeting heard. Other parts of Europe, including France, Spain and Portugal, have already undertaken large scientific studies to model the effect of a tsunami.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 04:10:27 +0000
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