For the last 30 years, the Thames Flood Barrier, a high-tech barrier that is raised and lowered almost like the gates to a medieval castle, has been protecting the heart of London from the kind of catastrophic storm surge that hit New York last week.

Andy Batchelor helps keeps the vast concrete and steel structure in London operational — always with one eye on the weather. With his decades of experience, he could see the trouble headed New York’s way. Batchelor said, “I spend half my life looking at the weather and to see the three weather systems coming in to — what happened in New York, I was absolutely amazed to what on earth that was going to give.”

For more on this story, visit: Storm surge barriers: A lesson U.S. needs to learn from Europe? – CBS News.