St. Lucia's flood

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St. Lucia's flood (Sint-Luciavloed) was a storm tide that affected the Netherlands and Northern Germany on 13/14 December 1287 (OS),^{[1][circular reference]} St. Lucia Day and the day after, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 people in one of the largest floods in recorded history. A low-pressure system mixed with a high tide caused the North Sea to rise over the seawalls and dikes, causing a large portion of the Netherlands and Northern Germany to be flooded. ^[2]

This disaster was similar to the North Sea flood of 1953, when an intense European windstorm coinciding with a high tide caused a huge storm surge. The St. Lucia flood had a major influence on the subsequent history of the Netherlands. As a result of this event, a vast percentage of the country's population was wiped out.^[3]