North Sea flood of 1953

{{refimprove|date=November 2010}} The '''1953 [[North Sea]] flood''' (Dutch, ''Watersnoodramp'', literally "flood disaster") was a major [[flood]] caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland. A combination of a high [[spring tide]] and a severe [[European windstorm]] caused a [[storm tides of the North Sea|storm tide]]. In combination with a tidal surge of the [[North Sea]] the water level locally exceeded {{convert|5.6|m|ft|1}} above mean sea level. The flood and waves overwhelmed sea defences and caused extensive [[flood]]ing. The Netherlands, a country that is partly located below mean [[sea level]] and relies heavily on sea defences, was mainly affected, recording 1,836 deaths. Most of these casualties occurred in the southern province of [[Zeeland]]. In England, 307 people were killed in the [[county (England)|counties]] of [[Lincolnshire]], [[Norfolk]], [[Suffolk]] and [[Essex]]. 28 were killed in [[West Flanders]], Belgium. Further loss of life exceeding 230 occurred on watercraft along [[Northern Europe]]an coasts as well as in deeper waters of the North Sea; the ferry [[MV Princess Victoria|MV ''Princess Victoria'']] was lost at sea in the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]] east of [[Belfast]] with 133 fatalities, and many [[fishing trawlers]] sank. ==Netherlands== On the night of 31 January – 2 February 1953 many [[Dike (construction)|dykes]] in the provinces of [[Zeeland]], [[South Holland]] and [[North Brabant|Noord-Brabant]] proved unable to resist the combination of [[spring tide]] and a northwesterly storm. On both the islands and the mainland, large areas of country were completely flooded with water. Many people still commemorate the dead on 1 February. ===Warnings=== At the time of the flood, none of the local radio stations broadcast at night, and many of the smaller [[weather station]]s operated only during the day, as a result of which the warnings of the [[KNMI (institute)|KNMI]] did not penetrate the flood-threatened area in time. People did not receive warning and were consequently unable to prepare for the impending flood. Telephone and [[telegraph]] networks were disrupted, and within hours [[amateur radio operator]]s went in to the affected areas with their equipment to form a voluntary emergency radio network. These well-organized radio amateurs worked tirelessly, providing radio communications for ten days and nights, and were the only people maintaining contact with the outside world. In addition, the disaster struck on a Saturday night, and many offices in the disaster area were unstaffed. ===Resulting damage=== [[File:North Sea flood of 1953.png|thumb|left|Extent of flooding in the Netherlands]] The floods put large parts of South Holland, Zeeland and Noord-Brabant under water. In [[North Holland]] only one [[polder]] was flooded. The largest floodings occurred on the islands of [[Schouwen-Duiveland]], [[Tholen]], [[Sint Philipsland]], [[Goeree-Overflakkee]], the [[Hoeksche Waard]], [[Voorne-Putten]] and [[Alblasserwaard]]. Parts of the islands of [[Zuid-Beveland]], [[Noord-Beveland]], [[IJsselmonde_(island)|IJselmonde]], [[Pernis (Netherlands)|Pernis]], [[Rozenburg]], [[Walcheren]] and [[Land van Altena]] were flooded, as well as parts of the areas around [[Willemstad (Netherlands)|Willemstad]], [[Nieuw-Vossemeer]] and parts of [[Zeeuws-Vlaanderen]]. The heaviest death toll was recorded at the islands of [[Schouwen-Duiveland]] and [[Goeree-Overflakkee]]. The government started the Delta-commission to study the causes and effects of the floods. They estimated that flooding killed 1,835 people and forced the [[emergency evacuation]] of 70,000 more. In 2002 the number of victims was adjusted to 1836 because it became known that a baby, born in the night from saturday to sunday, drowned that same night{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}. Floods covered 9% of Dutch [[Farmland (farming)|farmland]], and sea water inundated 1,365 km² of land. An estimated 30,000 animals drowned, and 47,300 buildings were damaged of which 10,000 were destroyed. Total damage is estimated at 1 billion Dutch [[guilders]] (450 million [[euro]]s). [[Image:Sturmflut 1953 2.jpg|thumb|"Een dubbeltje op zijn kant" ("A dime on its side" meaning "A narrow escape"), a sculpture by Roel Bendijk of ''de Twee Gebroeders'' in the Groenedijk]] ====Near flooding of other parts==== The [[Schielandse Hoge Zeedijk]] along the river [[Hollandse IJssel]] was all that protected three million people in the provinces of [[South Holland|South]] and [[North Holland]] from flooding. A section of this dyke, known as the Groenendijk, was not reinforced with stone [[revetment]]s. The waterlevel was just below the crest and the seaside slope was weak. Volunteers worked to reinforce this stretch. Nevertheless, the Groenendijk collapsed under the pressure around 5:30 am on 1 February. Seawater flooded into the deep polder. In desperation, the [[mayor]] of [[Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel|Nieuwerkerk]] commandeered the river ship ''de Twee Gebroeders'' (''The Two Brothers'') and ordered the owner to plug the hole in the dyke by navigating the ship into it. Fearing that the ship might break through and dive into the [[polder]], captain Arie Evegroen took a [[row boat]] with him. The mayor's plan turned out to be successful, as the ship lodged itself firmly into the dyke, saving many lives. ===Reaction=== Several neighbouring countries sent soldiers to assist in searching for bodies and rescuing people. The U.S. Army sent helicopters from Germany to rescue people from the rooftops. [[Queen Juliana]] and [[Princess Beatrix]] visited the flooded area only a few days after. A large aid program came on apace, supported by the radio. A national donation program was started and there was a large amount of international aid, so much in fact that the Red Cross was overwhelmed and decided to send parts of it to Third World Countries. Politically, the disaster prompted discussions concerning the protection and strengthening of the dykes, eventually leading to the [[Delta Works]], an elaborate project involving the closing off of most [[estuary]]-mouths. ==United Kingdom== [[Image:TB 1953 1.jpg|thumb|A breach at [[Erith]] after the 1953 flood]] The North Sea flood of 1953 was one of the most devastating natural disasters ever recorded in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|UK]]. Over 1,600 km of coastline was damaged, and [[sea wall]]s were breached, inundating 1,000 km². Flooding forced 30,000 people to be evacuated from their homes, and 24,000 properties were seriously damaged. In individual incidents, 38 died at [[Felixstowe]] in Suffolk when wooden [[prefabrication|prefabricated homes]] in the West End area of the town were flooded. In [[Essex]], [[Canvey Island]] was inundated with the loss of 58 lives and another 37 died when the seafront village of [[Jaywick]] near [[Clacton-on-Sea|Clacton]] was flooded. In Scotland, the little fishing village of [[Crovie]] (then in Banffshire, now Aberdeenshire), built on a narrow strip of land along the Moray Firth coast, was abandoned by many of its inhabitants as entire structures were swept into the sea. The total death toll on land in the UK is estimated at 307. The total death toll at sea for the UK, including the {{MV|Princess Victoria}}, is estimated at 224. ==Belgium== The coastal defence of [[Flanders]] was also severely damaged. Near [[Oostende]], [[Knokke]] and [[Antwerp]] heavy damage was done to the sea defence with local breaches. 28 people died. ==Responses== In the Netherlands, an ambitious flood defence system was conceived and deployed, called the [[Delta Works]] ({{lang-nl|Deltawerken}}), designed to protect the estuaries of the rivers [[Rhine]], [[Meuse River|Meuse]] and [[Scheldt]]. The works were completed in 1998, upon completion of the storm surge barrier [[Maeslantkering]], in the [[Nieuwe Waterweg]], near [[Rotterdam]]. In the UK, the [[Permanent Secretary]] to the [[Home Office]] Sir [[Frank Newsam]] coordinated the immediate efforts to defend homes, save lives and recover after the floods; his achievements were much praised. After the flooding, major investments were made in new sea defences, and the [[Thames Barrier]] programme was started to secure central London against a future storm surge. ==Films and music== *[[BBC]] ''[[Timewatch]]'' made a documentary about The North Sea flood of 1953, called ''The Greatest Storm.'' *An episode of the ITV series [[Savage Planet (TV series)|Savage Planet]] also featured the flood. *In January 2008 the Brighton-based band [[British Sea Power]] released their 3rd album entitled "[[Do You Like Rock Music?]]" which includes the song "Canvey Island", about the 1953 North Sea floods. *The Dutch public broadcasting foundation has made numerous documentaries featuring the North Sea flood of 1953. They have also made two English versions of what were originally Dutch documentaries. The titles of these documentaries are "The Greatest Storm" and "1953, the year of the beast". *The 1953 Floods were mentioned in detail in the 2007 Film 'Flood'. *In 2009 a Dutch [[Action film|action]]-[[drama]] titled "[[The Storm (2009 film)|De Storm]]" (''The Storm'') was released. *The book ''The Little Ark'' by [[Jan de Hartog]], published in 1953, depicted the flood, and was made into a film by the same name in 1972. They made mobile weirs to help prevent flooding even worse. *The composition ''Requiem Aeternam 1953'' by [[Douwe Eisenga]] was written as a commemoration of the flood. *The short story, "The Netherlands Lives with Water," by Jim Shepard, contains a passage describing the event. ==See also== *[[List of disasters]] *[[Floods in the Netherlands]] *[[Flood control in the Netherlands]] *[[List of natural disasters in the United Kingdom]] *[[List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll]] *[[North Sea flood of 1962]] *[[RAYNET]] ==External links== {{Commons category|North Sea flood of 1953}} *[http://www.metoffice.com/corporate/pressoffice/anniversary/floods1953.html Met Office history] *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2706077.stm BBC — future flood risk] *[http://www.deltawerken.com/89 The Flood of 1953 in the Netherlands]. Report on DeltaWorks.org — includes Animations, Images and Video. *[http://zdc.zebi.nl/publiek/fotoarchief/groot.php3?recnr=54905 Image of the riverboat "The two brothers" at Groenendijk] *[http://www.thamesweb.com/page.php?page_id=59&topic_id=9 1953 Floods] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understanding/1953_flood.shtml The 1953 East Coast Floods] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/dont_miss/floods/flash_map.shtml Suffolk under water] — BBC Suffolk *[http://www.watersnoodmuseum.nl/en_GB/ Watersnoodmuseum, Ouwerkerk, The Netherlands] ===Video links=== *[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=53925 Dutch newsreel, on Pathe site] *[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=53895 Pathe newsreel, images of Netherlands] *[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=53880 Pathe newsreel, images of Netherlands] *[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=53875 Pathe newsreel, images of Canvey] *[http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=53939 Pathe newreel, evacuation in Lincolnshire] {{coord missing|Netherlands}} {{Weather events in the United Kingdom}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2011}} {{DEFAULTSORT:North Sea Flood Of 1953}}