For centuries, the Dutch have reclaimed land from the sea. But in 1953, the sea tried to take back a huge portion from the province of Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands. The worst flood in centuries surprised residents in the middle of the night. Houses were swept out to sea. Livestock and farmland were destroyed. More than 1800 people lost their lives. This historic disaster is recreated with the eyewitness accounts of survivors and the on-scene reports of Radio Netherlands’ journalists who brought news of the tragedy to the world at the time of the disaster. This is a unique look back at a memorable chapter in Holland’s past.
Producers: David Swatling and Liesbeth de Bakker
Broadcast: January 31, 2003