Written question asked by Mark Tami (Labour) on Thursday, 27 January 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 February 2005. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Thursday, 3 February 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of (a) which areas of the UK are likely to be affected and (b) the scale of likely damage which would be caused by a tidal wave.

Answer: Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of (a) which areas of the UK are likely to be affected and (b) the scale of likely damage which would be caused by a tidal wave. [211888] Mr. Morley: The precise scale of likely damage which could be caused by a tsunami type wave is difficult to predict as this would depend on both size and origin. However, the flood maps published on the internet by the Environment Agency now show the potential extent of an extreme flood (estimated at a 0.1 per cent. or 1 in 1,000 annual probability) for all coastal areas of England. While this was never intended to cover tsunami-type events, these maps are clearly indicative of the areas most at risk in such an occurrence. Assessments of such risks for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for the devolved Administrations. However, the Environment Agency Flood maps also cover Wales.

Secondary information