Guest guest Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Last Updated: Thursday, 8 November 2007, 23:17 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version North Sea surge brings flood risk The Thames Barrier was closed to protect London against a tidal surge A storm in the North Sea has caused alarm in Britain and the Netherlands, both countries facing the worst flood threat in decades. Flood defences were put on alert on the entire Dutch coast and flood warnings are in place for the eastern and northern coasts of Britain. A tidal wave in 1953 killed more than 2,000 people in both countries. Oil platforms have been closed off the Norwegian coast and gales are expected in Germany and Denmark. The Dutch transport ministry said this was the first time since 1976 the whole North Sea coast was under alert. Maritime traffic in Rotterdam was shut off, as the authorities planned to close the giant barrier that guards entrance to the largest port in Europe for the first time since its construction in the 1990s. One-third of the land mass of the Netherlands is under sea level. Flood warnings In Britain, the Thames River and Dartford Creek barriers are being shut down as waters are forecast to surge 1.5 metres (5 feet) above normal sea levels. UK government warned large areas of Norfolk and Kent coasts were at risk of severe flooding and the Met Office warned of gusts of up to 145km/h (90mph) for the Orkney and Shetland islands in Scotland. Severe gale warnings were issued in Germany and Denmark, with wind gusts of up to 125km/h (80mph) expected. In Germany, regions around the Elbe and Elm rivers were under flood warnings. The North Sea storm affected oil industry in Norway, the fifth largest exporter of crude in the world, with the closure of oil platforms off its coast. Norway's oil production of 220,000 barrels per day is expected to be slashed by 10% possibly leading to increases in the price of crude, already at record levels, experts say. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7086175.stm Dear List Members, Netherlands dasha: Ju/Me/Me/Ra/Ve UK dasha: Ma/Ju/Ke/Ve/Ke...and today at 5:00 AM GMT, it will be Ma/Ju/Ke/Su/Su. Best wishes, Jorge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.