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1953
Floods
Lincolnshire underwater - the 1953 floods
In
1953 huge tides surged along the east coast of England. Lincolnshire
did not escape the floods and became swept up in one of the worst
peace-time disasters Britain has seen.
One
of Britain's worst peace-time disasters
HAVE
YOUR SAY
Did
you witness the 1953 floods? How did they affect you? Do you
have any great stories to tell? Share them here - have
your say, e-mail lincolnshire@bbc.co.uk
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On
31st January, 1953, considerable areas along the coast of Lincolnshire
were flooded. The Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea and Skegness areas
were the most seriously affected parts and forty-three people lost
their lives.
It
was soon after dusk when the first waves crashed through the sea
defences in Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea and within an hour virtually
the whole town including the high street lay underwater.
A terrifying time for everyone living there and for the people drafted
in to help. A long and cold night lay ahead.
The destruction didn't stop that night however and the morning's
high tide combined with the continuing storm saw the flooding get
worse.
It eventually reached more than two miles inland. Help was needed
urgently to shore up the defences and the military was brought in.
Of course it wasn't just humans that felt the effect of the flood,
the storm also took it's toll elsewhere. Around 200,000 acres of
farmland was devastated and hundreds of animals died.
Follow
the experiences of Lincolnshire people who were affected by
the floods here
>>
It
is now fifty years since the floods came.
Nevertheless the memories of what happened remain strong. The threat
of further flooding is still present and many fear that another
crisis could happen.
So what you can do in the event of a flood? Get some useful tips
on becoming flood aware and find out how flood defences have developed
through the ages below »
