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N0KFQ > TODAY 17.11.10 19:24l 40 Lines 1577 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Nov 17
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From: N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
To : TODAY@WW
Nov 17, 1421:
Thousands die in massive flood
On this day in 1421, a storm in the North Sea batters the
European coastline. Over the next several days, approximately
10,000 people in what is now the Netherlands died in the
resulting floods.
The lowlands of the Netherlands near the North Sea were densely
populated at the time, despite their known vulnerability to
flooding. Small villages and a couple of cities had sprung up in
what was known as the Grote Waard region. The residents built
dikes throughout the area to keep the water at bay, but fatal
floods still struck in 1287, 1338, 1374, 1394 and 1396. After
each, residents fixed the dikes and moved right back in after the
floods.
Even the St. Elisabeth's flood of November 1404 (named after the
November 19 feast day for St. Elisabeth of Hungary), in which
thousands died, could not dissuade the residents from living in
the region. Seventeen years later, at the same time of year,
another strong storm struck the North Sea. The resulting storm
surge caused waves to burst hundreds of dikes all over Grote
Waard. The city of Dort was devastated and 20 whole villages were
wiped off the map. The flooding was so extensive this time that
the dikes were not fully rebuilt until 1500. This meant that much
of Zeeland and Holland--the area that now makes up the
Netherlands--was flooded for decades following the storm. The
town of Dordrecht was permanently separated from the mainland in
the flood.
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