The North Sea, whipped up to-gfury by gales and spring
tides has reclaimed for itself some of the English, Dutch and Belgian land which clever engineering had won and had guarded by strong sea-walls. The Low Countries have had by far the worst of t'.e catastrophe. They gamble with the sea for higher stakes and their losses in lives and land must be greater. But our own are grave, a national disaster without the sharp blow of a Lynmouth or a Harrow. The sense of tragedy spread like the waters themselves, until gradually the East of England was surrounded by the com- passion, official and unofficial, of the whole country. The quick official action of relief and rescue services through Civil Defence channels must have saved thousands of lives and certainly was a prompt palliative to suffering. The nation rose to the help of the flood victims, while sparing vital military and naval aid to the stricken Dutch. The unofficial voluntary help was equally heartening; clothes, blankets, food and money were lavished on the victims as soon as the need was known. As in any other disaster, whatever human failures there may have been were quickly outweighed by generosity and heroism in the relief of those who suffered. It will be established whether there was carelessness in passing on warnings about the gales and the possibility of floods or whether some local authorities really have been neglecting coastal defences, but for the time being attempts to place blame are cruel. The human wreckage of the floods is being well cared for, the physical damage is being patched: A huge plan of coastal defence may have to be undertaken in the end, but it cannot be thought about until the present breaches are safely sealed against renewed high tides. Then we must see if walls and warnings cannot be improved to avoid loss of life and precious agricultural land.
