Tidal wave heading for England's east coast poses 'extreme danger to life'

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Tidal wave heading for England's east coast poses 'extreme danger to life'
Last updated at 23:13pm on 8th November 2007

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Tens of thousands of householders are today preparing for some of the worst coastal floods in decades.

Sea levels could rise up to 9ft this morning along part of the East Coast, putting lives at risk.

Sea defences in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft could be breached around 7am, sending a torrent of salt water into the towns.

• Eight severe flood warnings issued by Environment Agency

• Surge expected to hit east coast in next 12 hours

• Police on standby to evacuate homes

• Dartford Creek and Thames barriers closed

Police and fire services were last night preparing to evacuate thousands of homes. Householders were stocking up on sandbags and emergency provisions.

The Norfolk Broads, Essex and northern Kent could also be hit, and the entire coast from Immingham in Humberside to Margate in Kent has been told to be on alert.

The Environment Agency, which issued eight severe flood warnings, last night said it was "gravely concerned" about the threat.

Gordon Brown called a meeting of the emergency Cabinet committee Cobra to prepare for his third major flood crisis since taking office in the summer.

The tidal surge is being caused by 50mph winds in the North Sea, an unusually high tide and an area of low pressure off the East Coast.

Simon Hughes, of the Environment Agency, said: "Great Yarmouth is very low lying and the surge is expected to hit at the same time as the high tide."

It is expected to measure almost 5ft above what is normally expected - but in the worst case, it could be more than 9ft higher.

Mr Hughes said the defences were almost 10ft high, "so it's going to be close and we are gravely concerned".

He added: "The most important thing that people can do is contact the Environment Agency's Floodline to see if they will be affected. If they are, they can move valuables upstairs, move their vehicles and ensure that their neighbours are safe."

The surge has echoes of the East Coast floods of 1953, when more than 1,000 people died.

"Things are very different now," said Mr Hughes. "We have flood defences, a warning system and the emergency services are well prepared and practice for floods."

Around 8,000 homes in Great Yarmouth could be at risk, along with 1,800 in Lowestoft.

Last night, locals were collecting sandbags from the council and preparing to barricade their homes.

Beth Manning, of Great Yarmouth police, said: "Evacuation is more than likely. We have been doing a lot of immediate work in Yarmouth."

Izzie Cunningham, of Lowestoft's Waterlane Leisure Centre, said: "The centre will be an evacuation centre."

Police warned residents to avoid travel, prepare to move upstairs by hoarding food, clothes, blankets and torches, and fill the bath and buckets with water for washing in case there is a loss of water supply.

Norfolk and Suffolk have six severe flood warnings between Winterton, Norfolk and Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

The warnings carry an Environment Agency alert stating: "Severe flooding is expected. There is extreme danger to life and property. Act now."

Five less serious flood warnings and 22 flood watches are in place around the East Coast. In Kent, the surge will peak around noon, but is not expected to be as severe.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "There is a risk of flood defences being over-topped on the coast and in tidal rivers, especially in East Anglia, particularly the Norfolk Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft, and areas south of this as far as the coast of Kent."

Call Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for the latest warnings.

Are we better prepared than in 1953?

England suffered one of its worst peacetime disasters in 1953 when floods battered the east coast, claiming hundreds of lives.

On the night of January 31, the sea swept up to two miles inland, with huge tides surging down the coast between the Tees and the Thames.

By the morning, 307 people in coastal towns and villages had lost their lives. Around 24,000 homes were damaged and more than 30,000 people had been moved to safety.

More than 200 lives were lost at sea, including fishermen and passengers on the Irish Channel ferry Princess Victoria.

Around 1,000 miles of British coast, from Shetland to Kent, was affected by the storm, which was caused by a severe depression.

Sea defences burst in more than 1,000 places. Coastal towns in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent were devastated as sea water surged into the streets.

Many people spent a freezing night on rooftops, awaiting rescue by firemen, police and soldiers.

At King's Lynn in Norfolk, a 6ft wave crashed through the centre of the town.

About 13,000 people were evacuated from Canvey Island in Essex and 60 died.

This summer, large parts of England were once again hit by severe flooding. Chunks of south-west England, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside were left under water, causing damage reported as totalling £4billion.

Tidal wave heading for England's east coast poses 'extreme danger to life'

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Surging Waves Batter European Coasts

Friday , November 09, 2007

GREAT YARMOUTH, England —
A powerful North Sea weather system triggered tidal surges and ferocious winds Friday, prompting fears of flooding, but left Britain and the Netherlands largely unscathed.

The peak of the predicted surge passed without causing any major damage. Hundreds of people were evacuated as a precaution, but no injuries were reported.

"It was a pretty close shave," British Environment Agency spokesman Jo Giacomelli said. "It was still very, very high tides, indeed ... they were only about 20 centimeters (8 inches) below what we predicted."

Click here to view photos.

In the Netherlands, Rotterdam Port halted all ship traffic until Friday evening. The Maeslant Barrier protecting Europe's largest port was closed Thursday for the first time under storm conditions since its construction in 1997.

The Thames River barrier, downstream from London, was also closed as a precaution.

Waves up to 20 feet high rolled up against sea defenses in Lowestoft, England, the most easterly point in Britain, about 120 miles northeast of London on the North Sea coast early Friday.

But by midmorning, concern eased and police were allowing residents to return to homes in low-lying areas.

"It didn't turn out as bad as we thought," said Jill Bird, 47, a hotel cook from Great Yarmouth. "We were very worried because this was the biggest surge since 1953, when several hundred people died. So we feel very, very lucky this morning."

In France, wind gusts of up to 66 mph whipped northern towns during overnight storms, blowing off rooftops and uprooting trees, according to regional emergency services.

Switzerland warned Friday of "considerable" avalanche danger in the east of the country, particularly on steep north-facing slopes above 8,200 feet.

In the northern German port of Hamburg, the city's fish market and the Grosse Elbstrasse riverfront thoroughfare were under water.

Great Yarmouth, about 135 miles northeast of London, was also closed to traffic as the River Yare rose nearly to the surface of bridges. Police in Norfolk said rising water had breached the flood defenses in the town center.

Residents, however, were divided on whether the storm lived up to the warnings.

"We were told it was going to be the worst floods for 50 years but, so far, it looks like we may have escaped," said John Harrison, 60, who was watching from a bridge near neighboring Lowestoft.

Another resident of the town called the surging waters spectacular. "I've lived here all my life and never seen anything like it," said Chris Warnes, 55.

The storm did not hit Germany as hard as expected Thursday night but meteorologists were expecting a storm surge along the North Sea coast Friday afternoon, and the port of Hamburg was closed.

By the end of Friday, the high state of alarm along the entire Dutch North Sea coast had been eased and the Dutch union of insurance companies said the storm had been far less damaging than feared.

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport reported numerous delays, but very few flights canceled, due to high winds.

The national weather bureau said the north of the country was still being buffeted by wind gusts of up to 90 kph (50 mph) in the late afternoon.

The storm also hit the Faeroe Islands, a Danish territory between Scotland and Iceland, forcing the main international airport at Vagar to close and ferry and bus companies to suspend their services.

A few ferry crossings between Sweden and Norway and Denmark, have been canceled, according to the Danish Road Directorate.

Britain's severe flood warnings were canceled Friday afternoon, although the Environment Agency warned that high tides and unsettled conditions could still cause problems over the weekend.

In Great Yarmouth, half a dozen surfers took advantage of the storm to test the waves.

Surging Waves Batter European Coasts