Evening star., 1953-02-04
England and Holland
Warned Of NewGaIes
As Flood Toll Rises
BY ,hs Associated Press

A04AA0p GC0s - w "a AAA446o O4 11CW
gales and high tides flashed
fresh danger to battered Britain
and Holland today as an inter-
national armada of planes and
boats braved waves and near
freezing weather to rescue sur
vivors Of the continents most
frightful flood disaster since
medieval times.
The unofficial death toll topped
1,600-including 1853 in Holland
but the Amsterdam newspaper
Het Vrije Volk indicated today
that more than 1000 persons
may have lost their lives in the
Netherlands alone.
AS thousands of workers raced
against time to shore up shat
tered sea defenses in Britain
and the Netherlands, some 1000
vessels and more than 1875
planes rushed the evacuation of
thousands numbed by cold and
suffering from three days Of ex-
posure in isolated villages
throughout stricken Southwest
Holland.
Island Toll Is Heavy.
Het Vrije Volk said that the
death toll on the iceland island
of SchouWen-Duiveland alone
may be nearly 1000. It quoted
the burgomaster of Zierikzee as
saying between 800 and 400 per-
sons drowned in the town of
Nieuwerkerk, on that island.
The new gale warning was an
nounced for the North Sea area.
Accompanying the grim forecast
was a British Air Ministry pre-
diction that strong winds de-
veloping farther south during
the day will tend to heighten
the tides on the east coast"
Already a biting wind was
whipping up the sea again along
England's Norfolk coast-hit
hard by the rushing waters which
high tides and hurricane winds
sent pouring over the land Sun
day.
The raging waters subsided
somewhat in Britain and Bel
gium but a thousand square
miles Of Holland-hardest hit of
the three countries-remained
buried under a blanket of dead
ening salt water.
Damage in Millions.
Damage was reckoned in un-
calculated millions of dollars. In
Britain more than 400 square
miles were flooded. In Brussels,
newspaper estimates placed Bel
gian losses in the neighborhood
Of $40 million.
The final death toll in the dis
aster may exceed 1000. The latest
count from official and the best
available unofficial sources was:
Holland, 1858.
England, 377.
Lost in ships at sea, 1859.
Belgium, IA.
Total, 1913.
An estimated 10000 persons
were homeless, $4,000 in Britain
and $4,000 in Holland. Thou
sands were believed still missing
in the two countries.
Search Still to Be Made.
But the final accounting will
not be known for several weeks
until the last search Of sub
merged homes has been made,
all death lists checked and until
exposure injuries and disease
have completed their toll.
Along with the desperate race
to save persons still trapped in
trees, attics, on dikes and other
surrounded high places, workers
faced the task of rebuilding dikes
against the threat of coming
high spring tides that might
again force waters far inland.
But help and offers of aid
have poured into the stricken
countries from all over the
world, along with messages of
deepest sympathy.
New flood threats developed
last night in both Britain and
Holland. A new break in the
dikes was reported at Rommel
on the North Coast of the twin
Dutch islands of Goeree- Over
f1akke. Seas roared inland
through a hole IS yards wide and
five yards deep. Rommel has q
population of 1000.
In Britain, the Ouse River
broke its banks in East Anglia.
Homes in Warrington and st.
Germans were evacuated and
fears were expressed that the city
of Kings Lynn might be cut off.
Many British towns reported that
flooded sewers threatened a seri-
Gus outbreak of disease.
A vast rescue force, including
ships, planes and men of the
United States, British, French
and Canadian armed services
moved swiftly to answer frantic
pleas Of help from flooded Dutch
communities.
Rescue efforts were concen-
trated on the hardest-hit areas
Of Schouwen-Diveland and Tho
len Islands in Zealand and Foe
ree-Overf1akkee.
A hastily organized airlift
parachuted tons of food and
blankets and other supplies to
isolated areas. Fifteen Ameri-
can and British helicopters are
being used to carry medicines
and more of the windmilling
craft were expected to arrive to-
day.
Boats Mass for Rescue.
A motley armada Of fishing
boats, Royal Dutch Navy mine
SWeeDerS and natrnI vnSSnls apd