Several devastating floods took place around Saint Elizabeth’s name day:
- the first St. Elizabeth flood of 1404
- the second St. Elizabeth flood of 1421
- the third St. Elizabeth flood of 1424
During the first St. Elizabeth flood on or around November 19, 1404, Flanders and Zeeland in particular flooded. Almost 3,000 hectares of land was lost in West Flanders and Zeelandic Flanders. The second St. Elizabeth flood, probably caused by a very heavy north-westerly storm followed by a high storm surge, is best known in the Netherlands. The water in the rivers was very high due to frequent rainfall. There was no spring tide. The dyke breaches and subsequent flooding caused extensive damage in Zeeland and Holland. The story that the Biesbosch was created in one night by this storm surge is incorrect. Although the dikes in the area broke during this flood, it took decades before the entire area was under water and the Biesbosch, with its creeks and reeds, formed.