Deaths during the 1953 North Sea Storm Surge

From 31 January to 1 February 1953, a North Sea storm surge devastated coastal areas of the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Apart from enormous economic damage and severe societal disruption, over 2,000 people died across the three countries. This paper discusses the available data on loss of life in these three countries and examines the application of these data for loss of life estimations and general flood management practices.