Fox News
Thursday, November 08, 2007
LONDON — Thousands of people along
the the eastern coast of England were told to evacuate their homes and move to
higher ground Thursday ahead of a potentially devasting 10-foot wall of sea
water predicted to slam the island nation Friday morning.
More than 10,000 homes and businesses are affected by the
order, according to the British Environment Agency, which has issued seven
severe flood warnings for people living on the Norfolk and Suffolk coast near
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn warned of potentially
historic flooding in the next 48 hours.
In anticipation of the surge the Thames Barrier, which
protects London from flooding, was to be
closed Thursday night to cope with water levels four feet higher than usual.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown convened an emergency
meeting of officials Thursday afternoon to coordinate potential mass evacuations
and rescue efforts.
Officials predict sea levels will surge exceeding 10 feet
above usual tidal levels as a result of an intense storm blowing winds in excess
of 60 mph that are expected to funnel a wall of water from the North Sea between
7-9 a.m. Friday, London time.
A "significant tidal surge" will cause some areas to see the
highest tides since 1983.
"It will run down the east coast of the UK, around the Dover
Strait and back up around Belgium," according to David Briton, an official with
the Metro Office. "It will be comparable to the floods of 1953, which were
caused by a storm surge."
The 1953 floods, which were more severe than the ones
forecast for Friday, claimed the lives of 300 people in Britain and thousands in
the Netherlands. Damage to British property ran to more than $12 billion in
today's money... More
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