Flood water recedes but severe warnings still in place
Minister says storm surge that claimed two lives and forced thousands to flee from their homes is not over yet.
On Friday morning the Environment Agency still had 25 severe flood warnings – issued when flooding poses a danger to life – in place, as well as 102 flood warnings and 54 flood alerts.
Following a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee on Friday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson warned: “There will still be exceptionally high tides today and tomorrow and I would ask everybody to pay very close attention to advice from the Environment Agency and also to follow instructions from the police, local government and the emergency services.”
Police in Essex and Northumbria said the flood water was receding, while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency lifted all flood warnings this morning except one for the Eyemouth coastal area.
Thousands of homes were evacuated after the largest North Sea surge since the disastrous floods of 1953 hit the north Norfolk coast early on Thursday evening and headed south the night.
The Thames barrier faced the biggest tide since it opened in 1982 and was due to close again on Friday morning, after being shut overnight then reopened.
Jason Wakeford, a spokesman for the Environment Agency, said: “The worst effects were in darkness overnight so it is too soon to assess the overall picture but several thousand properties have been affected in the biggest coastal event of the last 60 years and the warnings we issued were in line with that risk.
“Some 800,000 properties have been protected by the defences put in place in the last six decades and we have issued 120,000 warnings to individual properties.
“It is quite clear from those numbers that events like this are hugely dangerous – the 1953 flood claimed thousands of lives so alerts and warnings are very important to prevent such a disaster happening again.
“In places across the east coast sea levels were higher than in 1953. However, this time we had much better protection in place.”
One man died on Thursday after he was struck by a falling tree in a park in Retford, Nottinghamshire, and a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle toppled on to a number of cars in West Lothian, Scotland.
In Hemsby, Norfolk, five clifftop bungalows fell into the water as the high tide eroded the cliff below.
People are being urged to check the Environment Agency website or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest updates on flood warnings.