Sixty years ago this month a terrible storm tore along the coast of Norfolk. Winds raged, the storm-whipped sea surged to high tide and, in the darkness, water crashed into thousands of homes.

Eastern Daily Press: 1953 FLOODSGORLESTONDATED 1953PLATE P00611953 FLOODSGORLESTONDATED 1953PLATE P0061

Exactly 100 people were drowned, in Norfolk alone, that dreadful night.

The floods which overwhelmed Norfolk's sea defences on the night of January 31, 1953, are still remembered as the worst peacetime disaster to strike East Anglia.

Were you on the Norfolk coast that night? Do you remember the floods of 1953, or perhaps you have heard family or friends talk about their experiences.

We will be telling some of the stories of the 1953 floods as we approach the 60th anniversary – and would love to include your memories.

Alongside the tragedy, were tales of heroism and humanity.

We would like to include your memories of the flooding and its aftermath, or your stories of how your parents or grandparents coped.

Maybe you have heard of how relatives were rescued from roofs or upstairs rooms, or perhaps you were part of the clean-up. Hundreds of people collected cash, clothes and furniture for stricken families, or shovelled sand and mud from wrecked homes.

More than 300 died along the east coast of England – and across the North Sea the Netherlands was even harder hit with a death toll of more than 1,800.

In Norfolk, on February 1 1953, traumatised families told of a baby torn from a father's grasp, a teenager swept away while searching for elderly neighbours.

But with the heartbreak, came heart-warming stories too – and we would love to tell as many as possible.

Email rowan.mantell@archant.co.uk or write to Rowan Mantell, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich. NR1 1RE.