Surfs up, hope the damage is limited.
…
Flooding ‘may put lives at risk’
**A tidal surge in the North Sea has sparked severe flood warnings and evacuations on England’s east coast. **
**]Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held an emergency Cobra committee meeting and the Environment Agency has warned of “extreme danger to life and property”. **
Low pressure and strong winds are causing the surge. Norfolk and Suffolk have eight severe flood warnings.
**About 200 people in Norfolk have been moved. Parts of Kent, Essex, North Yorks and Lincs are also on alert. **
**Dartford Creek and Thames barriers were due to close on Thursday. **
**Norfolk Police, Norfolk County Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council evacuated people from care homes and hospitals. Two rest centres have been set up in Norfolk, as more people could be brought in during the night. **
**Residents in low-lying areas of the Suffolk coast were advised to leave their homes as up to 1,300 properties could be affected there. **
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman said: “Those most likely to be vulnerable to flooding should leave their properties and seek shelter with friends and family outside the affected area if possible.”
**Leisure centres in Lowestoft and Leiston, as well as Beccles Public Hall, are being used as rest centres. **
**In Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, sandbags were being prepared for homes and businesses. **
**‘Gravely concerned’ **
**The flood alerts are a response to weather and tide patterns being tracked this week by the Environment Agency and the Met Office. Wind speeds exceeding 50mph (80km/h) are predicted, with the storm surge expected to peak at about 0430 GMT around Immingham, near Grimsby, and then at 0700 GMT on the East Anglian coast. **
