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Floods
Two or three times per century continuous rain combines with high tides and certain wind directions and results in catastrophic flooding. Nature at its most powerful can still dwarf the attempts of humans to control it completely.
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Erith 1953 |
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Maidenhead 1947 |
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Most archives associated with the River have photographic histories of floods. Old newspapers often present the most dramatic images, and capture the individual human stories.
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Flood reduction schemes range from the Thames Barrier to the more recent Jubilee River scheme, but can only reduce or divert the flooding and not prevent it totally. For 2,000 years mankind has drained and built on the old marshes and flood plains that absorbed excess water.
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Aerial view, Windsor |
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