Thousands of people were told to leave their homes and spent the night in temporary accommodation as officials warned lives could be at risk.
The North Sea surge hit the north Norfolk coast early on Thursday evening and headed south throughout the night.
The fierce Atlantic storm – which has already claimed two lives – caused widespread disruption on Thursday but as Friday dawned some agencies said the expected flooding overnight was less severe than expected.
Northumbria police tweeted: "Early indications are that the tidal surges in our area this morning are less than what we saw yesterday."
Essex police said the flood situation was being downgraded from a severe flood warning to a flood warning, and that the county had escaped the worst of the weather.
Military personnel from Colchester Garrison helped emergency services during the night in Maldon, and the majority of people evacuated from their homes had now left rest centres, police said.
More than 10,000 homes on the coast were earmarked for evacuation on Thursday night after officials warned that the lives of people in the regions could be at risk.
In Boston, Lincolnshire, more than 250 people were taken to evacuation centres and 200 were reported to be at a centre in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.
Some North Sea oil platforms were also evacuated, the BBC said.
The Environment Agency issued 45 severe flood warnings – the highest category, only invoked when flooding poses a danger to life – covering coastal areas in East Anglia, the North Sea coast and south-eastern parts of England as high tides return again on Friday morning.
On Thursday a man died when he was struck by a falling tree in a park in Retford, Nottinghamshire, and a lorry driver was killed when his HGV toppled on to a number of cars in West Lothian, Scotland.
The army was called in to assist firefighters and police in Norfolk.
Across the country more than 100,000 properties were hit by power cuts as winds of up to 140mph damaged powerlines.
Northern Power Grid said 20,000 properties were affected in the north-east, Yorkshire and North Linconshire.
Humberside police launched a search and rescue operation for three people who may have fallen into the river Humber close to Flixborough. The force warned the public not ignore flood warnings, saying some people had been risking their lives by running into the waves.
In Norfolk 9,000 homes were evacuated, mainly in the Great Yarmouth area, as officials attempted to stem the damage from the coastal surge. Soldiers in the town helped build flood barriers.
The Ministry of Defence said 60 Light Dragoons, based at the Swanton Morley Army base in Norfolk, were helping with the effort.
At Blakeney in north Norfolk the water breached the quay at about 5.30pm on Thursday. Within 30 minutes the floods had advanced 50 metres up the village's main street. Water reached window height and at least one car was seen being swept away.
Staff were seen baling water from the window of the King's Arms as the surge reached bar height.
Cliff Park high school, which was being used to house evacuees near Yarmouth, was full by mid-evening, Norfolk police said.
Residents from more than 60 streets around Jaywick in Essex were advised to leave their homes, Essex police said. In Kent more than 500 properties were evacuated in areas including Sandwich, Seasalter and Faverhsham.
A spokesman for the EA had warned on Thursday that in some areas sea levels could be higher than those during the devastating floods of 1953 – which battered the east coast of England and claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
Defences built since then – including the Thames and Hull Barriers – mean many parts of the country were much better protected, he said.
The Met Office said the Atlantic storm brought severe gales of between 60mph and 80mph across Scotland and northern parts of England on Thursday, and some mountainous regions in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire reported speeds of around 140mph.
Original Article
Source: theguardian.com
Author: Press Association
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