A European windstorm crosses over Scotland and plunges into the mouth of the North Sea , to the west of Norway , where its strong winds push large bodies of water Southeast , towards coastal regions in England and the Netherlands . The tidal surge puts both nations on red alert as the English evacuate some coastal villages and close the Thames Barrier . The Dutch close the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier and the enormous Maeslant barrier in order to prevent massive flooding as the storm mimics the situation that caused the devastating North Sea flood of 1953 . For the first time since 1976 , the entire Dutch coastline is put on alert and is closely monitored by officials . The tidal surge turned out to be too weak to cause any significant damage to the strong Dutch coastal defenses . In England , only minor flooding occurred
North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
Global storm activity of 2007