Tidal surge poses serious threat to English, Dutch coasts

[Praxius]

Tidal surge poses serious threat to English, Dutch coasts

Areas along the British and Dutch coasts are at risk of severe flooding from a tidal surge in the North Sea, government and environmental agencies warned Thursday. "A tidal surge of up to three metres is making its way down the North Sea, which could coincide with high tides," British Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the House of Commons. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown convened a special meeting of the government crisis committee (COBRA) Thursday night to discuss the threat to England's east coast. "COBRA will be on full alert throughout the night, and the prime minister will be keeping in close touch and keeping on top of things," John Healey, minister for local communities, told reporters following the meeting. There are eight severe flood warnings in Suffolk and Norfolk, as communities in those regions have been placed on evacuation alert. Flood warnings have been extended south to Kent, said officials. The entire Dutch coastline is also on flood alert, said the Dutch transport ministry. A storm in the North Sea is expected to cause a roughly three-metre-high surge, conditions forecasters say compare to the massive flooding of 1953 that killed 300 people in eastern England and the Netherlands. The surge was expected to peak around 2 a.m. ET, or 7 a.m. local time. Gale warnings have been issued in Germany and Denmark.

[Praxius]

Update already:



BBC NEWS | UK | England | Thousands go home after tide fear

Thousands of people who left their homes amid fears of flooding are returning after the biggest tidal surge for half a century. Fears of widespread flooding in eastern England have diminished as tides peaked without major breaches of sea defences. The waters were nearly 8in (20cm) lower than originally feared and passed without causing major damage. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said it had been a "close run thing" but that the worst was now over. The North Sea surge had been moving south during Friday, combining with high tides and strong winds to create flooding risks along the coast. Residents on the Kent coast had been told to remain vigilant due to high tides on Friday afternoon, but no major flooding was reported. Earlier, Floods Recovery Minister John Healey and East of England Minister Barbara Follett visited Great Yarmouth to meet local people evacuated from their homes as a precaution. The Environment Agency (EA) said the surge had "lost its power" by Friday lunchtime and no problems had been reported in the county as the high waters continued their way south. The risks in the worst-hit areas in East Anglia, Great Yarmouth, Felixstowe and Lowestoft had passed, an EA spokesman added. Areas on the Lincolnshire coast, around the Humber and in the North East of England have been given the all-clear. Felixstowe docks were closed, and rail company One suspended services between Lowestoft and Norwich due to flooding on the line. Norfolk police said water had breached flood defences in the centre of Great Yarmouth but there was "no risk to persons or property". The EA said there was a risk of flooding later from a "tidal block" on the Norfolk rivers Bure, Yare and Waverey, which is caused by river water moving back out to sea, while high tides push sea water back into the rivers. Meanwhile, in London the Thames barrier was put back up as a precaution against the high tide, but the water is not expected to breach its defences. Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired an emergency Cobra committee meeting at on Friday morning. Another Cobra meeting, chaired by Mr Benn, was held later. He told BBC Radio 4's World at One that the floods could have been much more damaging. "As far as East Anglia is concerned - Norfolk and Suffolk - it looks now as if the worst is over." He added: "It looks at the moment as if it's been a pretty close run thing - at Great Yarmouth, the Environment Agency say this has been the most significant event since the great storm of 1953." Large parts of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent were left under water in 1953, and 307 people died, when high tides and a storm saw a tidal surge of 3.2m (10ft 6in). Phil Rothwell, head of flood policy at the EA, said the surge was about the same level as the devastating 1953 flood but that technology and sea defences had improved since then. The EA has no severe flood warnings, although three standard flood warnings and 10 flood watches remain in place, mainly in East Anglia and the north east of England. The flood alerts are a response to weather and tide patterns being tracked this week by the EA and the Met Office. Oil platforms have been closed off Norway, gales are expected in Germany and Denmark and flood defences have been put on alert along the entire coast of the Netherlands, where a giant surge barrier at Rotterdam has been closed for the first time since its construction in the 1990s.

Sounded like it was gonna be bad, then I saw my next page here of news which I now updated.

[Nono]

But remember: There's reason to think any of this has anything to do with human-induced climate change ...

[Praxius]

I never said anything about that

[Nono]

I know, I'm just saving people like MrVicchio the trouble of posting.... :)

[HelioPrime]

All the more reason to build massive tidal generaters to protect inlet coves and bays!