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On the night of Saturday, 31 January 1953, a heavy storm caused a major flood that struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland. In some areas, water levels were more than 5m above the mean sea level. Netherlands, with 20% of its land below mean sea level, was the worst affected with 1,856 deaths. Additionally, more than 230 deaths occurred on ships and boats along the coasts of Northern Europe. 

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Following this event, the affected countries strengthened their coastal defences by establishing dams and flood barriers to prevent such catastrophic events from occurring again. 

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Read                  article to find out more about the flood.

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