Coastal erosion is caused by tidal movement, sea currents and rising water levels due to climate change. Residents of the village of Hemsby, in the Yarmouth area of the British province of Norfolk, live a daily nightmare for fear that the waters of the North Sea will suddenly submerge their homes.
The government says that the village, which has a population of 3,000 people and rises to 25,000 in summer, does not meet the funding criteria because it does not contain enough homes. According to experts, sea walls and other defenses that trap sand can slow the sea's advance and its swallowing of land.