Flood Toll in Holland Growing5
Thousands Marooned by Sea
Half a Dozen Nations in Rescue Battle as Cold
and Snow Add to Victims' Misery
N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE
- 1953
By The Associated Press
AMSTERDAM, Feb. 3.North Sea waves pounding through
broken Dutch dikes threatened tonight to swell by hundreds the death
toll of storms and floods that already have claimed nearly 1,600 lives
^in Holland, England and Belgium.
Near-zero cold, snow and hail
i/i/ o cz/l/O/
to answer frantic pleas for help
from isolated Dutch^communities.
American, German, Bntish, Cana
dian and other forcesi jo ned the
Dutch in the rescue efforts. Pre
mier Willem Drees told the Dutch
Parliament 50,000 victims o
national catastrophe are still to be
evacuated.
1,500 on Crumbling Dike
About 1,500 men, women and
children, some near death fiom
exposure, huddled on a crumbling
dike in southeast Hollapd£™^|
for rescue as the waves hammered
past. They were cut off early_Sun
day with the inundation'of O>ude
Tonge, on the island of
Overflakkee.
The lives of 3,877 in two other
villages, Oosterland and Brumisse
were menaced by the freaks of
wind and tide. Their burgomas
ters pleaded urgently by radio foi
amphibious planes or helicopteis
to evacuate the villagers, saying if
aid did not come quickly there will
he "a big loss of life."
Between 4,000 and 5,000 Ameri
can troops based in Germany
were ordered to Holland's aid
Two amphibious truck c0?ipa^1T1e5
were among them. Hehoopters
manes were rushed to the scene.
The American destroyers Bristol
and Johnson stood by at Am
sterdam.
Small Craft at Work
Hundreds of small craft were
working in the disaster area
A detachment of forty nv
Canadian Army engineers headed
from West Germany with five as
fauh boats to join British engi
neering units here.
Headquarters of the Allied_A
Forces in Central Europe at F°n
tainebleau, France, disp^ch®d a
trailer truck convoy
munications specialists to help
repair broken telephone and tele-
§1 West Germany rushed ten gov
ernment launches to the flooded
Dutch coastal areas.
Queen Flies Over Area
Queen Juliana of the Nether
lands ordered the royal yacht Piet
Hein a wedding present of the
Dutch people, converted into a
hosDital ship. The Queen, who
visited the flooded Zeeland Islands
yesterday, made another survey
of the disaster aréa by plane this
Belgium's young King Baudouin,
who visited the flooded Belgian
districts yesterday, was reported
taking a deep interest in the sal-
vage operations.
Help and expressions of sym
pathy poured in from neighboring
countries and the United States.
The League of Red Cross Societies
estimated that more than 100,000
persons in England and Holland
had lost their homes. Red Cioss
supplies valued at more than
$250 OOO; including bedding and
clothing, are on the way by rail
^Herself the victim of a disas
trous Po Valley flood last yeai,.
Italy began raising funds for re-
wrought misery among thousands
marooned through four days as
rescuers of' half a dozen nations
fought by sea and air to reach
them.
Many were numb and suffering
from exposure.
While the fury eased in England
and Belgium, Holland stayed fast
in the grip of the most terrible
flood this country has seen since
the fifteenth century. It was the
hardest hit of the three countries,
with a thousand square miles of
rich crop land inundated by dead
ening salt water and a million peo
ple threatened with ruin.
The losses in homes, land and
livestock run into uncounted mil
lions of dollars. With potato land
reduced, Holland embargoed the
export of Potatoes. Arthur Haulet,
Belgian Tourist Commissioner, said
damage to Belgium's seaside re
sorts alone is $10,000.000.
The final death toll may exceed
2,000. This was the latest count
from official and reliable unofficial
sources: Holland, 991; England,
536; Belgium, 22Total, 1,549.
A vast rescue network mobilized,
lief in the three Allied nations.
Three planeloads of blankets,
clothing and food will be shipped
tomorrow.
Belgium Welcomes Refugees
BRUSSELS, Feb. 3 (UP).—Bel
gium lifted passport restrictions on
flood refugees from the Nether
lands today and called for emer
gency funds to aid its own 5,000
homeless victims.
Premier Jean Van Houtte told
the Chamber of Deputies a pre
liminary emergency appropriation
of 10,000,000 Belgian francs ($200,-
000) was needed, and urged citi
zens to give "generous private
donations to aid the victims of
this terrible catastrophe which
has come to our land."
He recognized that Holland was'little danger of epidemics.
harder hit than his country, and
announced, "We are ready to re
ceive Dutch refugees. There will
be no passport formalities."
Mr. Van Houtee said three of
Belgium's nine provinces suffered
severe damage in the storm. Un
official estimates put the over-all
damage figure at 2,000,000,000
francs ($40,000,000).
"Dozens of municipalities are
under water," Mr. Van Houtee
said. "Many of our seaside cities
are wrecked. Successful measures
are being taken to close the
breaches, and the Army will stay
at the disposition of the govern
ment for repair work as long as
necessary. All sanitary precautions
have been taken, and there is
