NETHERLANDS:The Dutch authorities said the country's network of flood defences held firm during the storm and there had been no reports of major flooding.
"Until now, all the defences held and there's no reason to think that there is a safety problem in the Netherlands," said Karin van Rooijen, a spokeswoman for the ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water.
For the first time, the authorities ordered the huge Maeslantkering storm surge barrier protecting the city of Rotterdam to be closed as a precautionary measure during the storm. The barrier, which has 22m (72ft)-high and 210m-long steel gates, is one of the biggest man-made moving objects in the world.
Closing the barrier shut Europe's biggest port until 6pm last night and caused scores of ships to remain at sea.
The Netherlands's low-lying position - one-quarter of the country lies below sea level - makes it particularly prone to flooding. In 1953, a storm surge killed 2,000 people when tens of millions of litres of water spilled over the country's flood defences when water levels peaked at 3.85 metres.
Yesterday, the Dutch authorities said water levels had risen 3.16 metres above sea level along the southern coast .
"There were gusts of winds running at up to 150km/h but the storm wasn't as bad as it could have been," said Kees Borst from the government's Storm Surge Warning Service.
The north German coast was also badly hit in the worst weather since 1990. Flash floods and winds of more than 130 km/h lashed the coast, ripping away sand from beaches on the island of Helgoland.
In Hamburg and Bremen, flood waters rose three metres, washing away cars. Hurricane winds whipped 45 empty containers from a container ship on its way from Hamburg to France. Warnings from coast guards and meteorologists prevented injuries or deaths.