A Pontefract airman and his wife, and a former Castleford man and his family, are among the thousands of people who have been made temporarily homeless by the hurricane which battered the East Coast of England during the weekend, and caused the deaths of 200-300 people, widespread flooding and devastation.

Flight Lieutenant A.G. Brown whose parents live at ‘Windyridge’, Carleton Road, was with his wife and family in their bungalow at Sutton on Sea when they were warned that the sea was pouring down the main street, on which the bungalow is situated. They hurried to a two-storey house nearby, and in the early hours of Sunday morning were evacuated by lorry to Alford, about seven miles inland. Later on Sunday, Mrs Brown and the two children aged five years and eighteen months, were collected by car by Mr. Brown and taken to his home at Pontefract.

Mrs brown described to ‘The Express’ the suddenness of the disaster. "As soon as we were warned of the danger we collected the children, but had to wade knee deep through water to the house of friends. When my husband went back to the bungalow at low tide to collect some food, the whole place was awash." Warnings were given that the next high tide might be even more disastrous, said Mrs Brown, and evacuation began in the early hours of Sunday. "By the time we got to Alford Modern School, a reception centre was working smoothly and we were made very comfortable."

Flight Lieutenant Brown, who stayed behind to help in rescue work, found the R.A.F. Station at Manby, to which he is attached, unaffected. With the aid of a boat, he managed to salvage some clothing from the bungalow. Many personnel have been busy all the week assisting in the evacuation of civilians and in breaching work.