Evening star., 1953-02-07
Dutch Floods Abafe
As Thousands Labor
Al Rebuilding Dikes
By the Associuted Press

By the Assoeioted Press
AMSTERDAM. Feb. Flood
waters receded steadily today
from the disaster regions of Hol-
land as thousands of workers
toiled to rebuild the little king
dom's riddled dikes.
The sorrowing nations death
toll from the storm that hit
neighboring Belgium and also
Britain, mounted to 1872 as the
sea washed up several more
bodies in the stricken south
western provinces. Hardest hit
was Goeree -Overf1akkee island
with 433 dead.
The three-nation death toll
rose to 1,941. Britain counted
SAG dead and Belgium %.
U. S. Troops Helping.
Filling the storm-scoured
breaks in The Netherlands
dikes before next weeks spring.
tides was the biggest task facing
an army of emergency workers.
Toiling shoulder to shoulder on
the immense task was every fit
man who could be spared from
ravaged villages, troops-both
Dutch and American-and gangs
of student volunteers.
Tholen Island, where a big
dixie threatened today to burst
near st. Annaland, and Renesse,
in Schouwen, were the most
critical spots.
Hollanders in dire distress and
misery. still held out on water
encircled sand dunes on Schou-
wen-Duiveland Island. They
were without public services and
probably without food and medi-
cine.
Fire Trucks Involved.
The government said they and
others in similar plight would
be removed by Tuesday. The
mammoth evacuation operation,
already failing off, would then
be completed.
Fire trucks from all over Hol-
land have been working along
side regular Sea-water pumps in
drawing water from land turned
into a sodden sponge. Already
millions of gallons of flood
waters have been poured back
into rivers and canals.
A spokesman of the Ministry
of Social Affairs said refugees
will be able to return to their
repaired homes within a few
months" in most areas. Some,
however. will have to wait much
longer.
The evacuation Of refugees
will interfere with municipal
elections scheduled for next May
and discussions are going on be-
tween government and local
authorities to solve the problem
Payments Announced.
Meanwhile. the Social Affairs
Ministry has announced that a
1945 law for war victims will be
extended to flood sufferers. I'm
der it, the government will pay
evacuees 90 per cent of their last
known incomes.
Tens of thousands Of refugees
are making the best of it in i'm
provised reception centers. Fifty
babies were born the past few
days in hastily organized mater
nifty wards in one emergency
center the barracks of Breda
Royal Military Academy.
A government spokesman said
the air force will kill off with
machine guns thousands of
marooned livestock if they can
not be saved within the next
couple of days "but every effort
will be made to rescue them by
other means"
Americans InOculated.
Burning the carcasses of
thousands of drowned cattle has
been one of the big jobs facing
workers trying to get the country
back on its feet. Some of the
$4,000 American troops working
in Holland are helping with the
crematlons, aimed at preventing
possible epidemics. All the Amer
leans have been inoculated
against typhoid.
The Saddened nation prepared
ceremonies for tomorrow to mark
a day of national mourning for
flood victims. Special services
will be held in churches of all
denominations and movie thea
terS and other places of amuse-
ment will be closed.
The government said it will
seal of all devastated areas be-
fore the week end to keep out
sightSeerS, crowds seeking news
OF relatives and possible looters.
Big Tides Due Next Week.
In Britain, nearly 1000 troops
and thousands of. volunteers
worked today on breaks in sea
jority Of consumer products, de-
control would result in no wide