A major storm producing winds along the Scottish coast around 100 mph is also producing tidal surges ten feet above normal.  According to the Irish Times, flood defences along the entire Dutch coast were put on the highest alert since 1976. 

The massive storm surge barrier near the Dutch port city of Rotterdam raised for the first time since its construction in the 1990s.  Some say this could end up as the strongest storm in a half century.  Shipping to and from Rotterdam is expected to remain suspended until 5pm Friday. Rotterdam, a major transit point for oil, coal, grains and other commodities, handles about 35 per cent of European port traffic by tonnage. About 60 ships will be affected by the closure of the port.

In the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired an emergency meeting last night and the Environment Agency (EA) issued eight severe flood warnings as the surge - a combination of gale force winds and a high tide - approached. The EA warned of "extreme danger to life and property" in coastal areas of Norfolk and Suffolk and parts of Kent and Essex.

Here's the satellite image of the storm as it approached.