On the first of February 1953, a disaster caused by a  flood, bursted in upon the islands in the south west part of the Netherlands. Gale and wind with a spring-tide of unprecedented height pressed the waters in continuous attack on the sea dikes, and after a long battle men had to give up and the water came into the land. The result of this catastrophe was the lost of 1835 human lives under tragic circumstances and extreme material damage.

From the first hours the radio amateurs with their home made radio equipment went to the distressed areas to form, within a few hours, a voluntarily emergency radio network. In the first days they were the only group who were able to contact and inform the outside world about the catastrophe in the isolated distressed areas.  

All public communication networks such as telephone and telegraph were out of order. It is almost unbelievable how these radio amateurs did their work for 10 days and nights 24 hours a day and the way they were organized to provide the radio communication. 

From the north part of the Netherlands, PAoCP, PAoIP and  a SWL station (all members of VERON A-14) went to Zierikzee with a mobile 80m rig and operated ten days from the office of the Royal Zeelandia factory. (Baking ingredients).  50 years later, PI53LWD will be located at exact the same location during the National 1953 Commemoration.