The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, London

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes on the east coast of England ahead of an expected flood surge, officials said Friday. The government Environment Agency has warned of "extreme danger to life and property" in parts of Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Essex which are near the sea and issued eight severe flood warnings. The level of the surge is expected to be around 2.7 metres, slightly lower than during serious floods in the area in 1953, one of the worst natural disasters in Britain's history in which several hundred people died. The water levels are due to peak early Friday with Great Yarmouth expected to be one of the worst hit.