60 years on: remembering the North Sea Flood of 1953

By Alexander Hall

Last week marked the 60th anniversary of the most catastrophic flood that struck the UK in the twentieth century. The North Sea Flood and the associated storm system, which occurred on 31st January – 1st February, 1953, was responsible for over 400 deaths in the UK and nearly 2000 in the Netherlands.

The scale of the devastation caused that fateful January night forced the government to investigate wider flood and disaster protection measures in the UK, leading to many major features of today’s flood defences and disaster policy, including both the National Severe Weather Warning Service and the Thames Flood Barrier.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of such a catastrophic and influential event, I have created the below video which introduces the harrowing events from 1953 and revisits some of the afflicted regions today.

See Alexander’s website for more information.