Major Floods Warnings on East Coast of England
Any ark builders down in that London?
"Flood" may be coming true sooner than they thought!
Severe flood warnings are in place on parts of the east coast of England, with the Environment Agency warning of "extreme danger to life and property".
Prime Minister Gordon Brown was chairing an emergency Cobra meeting, as low pressure and strong winds combined to cause a North Sea tidal surge.
Norfolk and Suffolk have seven severe flood warnings. Parts of Kent, Essex, North Yorks and Lincs are on alert.
The Dartford Creek and Thames barriers were set to be closed at 2000 GMT.
The flood alerts are a response to weather and tide patterns being tracked this week by the Environment Agency and the Met Office.
'Gravely concerned'
In a brief Commons statement on Thursday afternoon, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "A tidal surge of up to 3m [10ft] is making its way down the North Sea which could coincide with peak high tides.
"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."
The Environment Agency's Simon Hughes said: "We're watching the situation very closely and we're gravely concerned about the scope for some serious flooding."
Wind speeds of about 50mph (80km/h) are predicted, with the storm surge expected to peak early on Friday morning.
There are seven severe flood warnings, nine flood warnings and 24 flood watches nationally, covering North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and the north Kent coast.
The severe warnings in place from Great Yarmouth down to Shingle Street, and on parts of the River Bure and River Yare, carry an Environment Agency alert stating: "Severe flooding is expected. There is extreme danger to life and property. Act now."
Suffolk County Council said it was considering whether to order people in vulnerable areas to leave their homes because of possible flooding, while in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, sandbagging preparations were under way.
Localised flooding
From the north Kent coast around to Sandwich and Deal, people were being asked to keep an eye on the weather and tides.
The impact there is expected to be less severe - with predicted tides 1.5m (5ft) above average - but there is still a risk of localised flooding.
The Environment Agency said it had put Dover District Council on alert that any cars parked at Sandwich Quay could be damaged by flood waters.
"We all need to be vigilant overnight and through tomorrow [Friday] lunchtime as we could see some localised flooding around the north Kent coast," said the agency's Brian Vinall.
The Environment Agency, Met Office, emergency services and council planners will be constantly assessing the tidal and storm situation throughout Thursday evening and Friday morning.
Large parts of East Anglia were left under water in 1953 when high tides and a storm saw a tidal surge of 3.2m (10ft 6in).
The Environment Agency said it was "much better prepared now", but the Met Office added that it was predicting the highest tide since 1983 in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7085394.stm
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Re: Major Floods Warnings on East Coast of England
Originally Posted by Freddy
. No more going to work for me for a while 
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