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This paper describes the use of an agent‐based model, known as the Life Safety Model (LSM) and a Monte Carlo analysis to assess the effectiveness of emergency management interventions in terms of loss of life, taking into account uncertainties in the physical characteristics of the population at risk, represented by people's height and mass. The work considered Canvey Island as a case study, which is located in the Thames Estuary. The average ground level of the island is 1 m below the mean high tide level. Canvey Island is protected against inundation by a series of flood defences. In 1953, the island was inundated by the Great North Sea Flood that breached the defences and led to the deaths of 58 people. A number of emergency management interventions (e.g. safe havens and flood warnings) were considered to ascertain if the loss of life in 1953 could have been reduced. The LSM was found to be an …