This year marks the 70th anniversary of one of the worst floods in England and Scotland during the 20th Century. It was one of Britain's most significant peacetime tragedies, with Winston Churchill calling it a "shocking and tragic disaster". Essex was heavily affected, with many lives lost and thousands of homes destroyed.

A major rescue operation was mounted to evacuate as many people from the flooded areas as possible, with around 10,000 people evacuated from Canvey Island alone.

Canvey was one of the communities in Essex that suffered the most significant loss of life, with 58 deaths. In Jaywick, 35 people died, and there were 120 total deaths recorded in Essex.

In this video, Ray Howard MBE and Malcolm MacGregor recall living through the floods in Canvey Island.

To learn how Essex County Council is responsing to the Essex Climate Action Commission's Net Zero: Making Essex Carbon Neutral report, please read the Essex Climate Action Plan: https://assets.ctfassets.net/knkzaf64...