Almost all dikes could handle a water level of two to two and a half meters above the normal flood level. But the highest water level that night rose more than three meters above the normal highest high tide. Most of the dangerous storm attacks almost always came from the northwest and the dikes on the north and west sides were therefore heavier than those on the south and east sides of the islands. Now the sea was so high, however, that the water poured over the dike crown, especially on the low side, and hollowed out the dikes from the inside. The above map with dyke breaches in 1953 shows that most breaches took place on the south side of the islands. In many places, breakthroughs at harbors were caused by the collapse of the denominations. In most cases, directly behind the denominations was a village or a residential core, as a result of which a breakthrough there had serious consequences. The first night attack by the sea caused breakthroughs in many places and after an ebb on Sunday afternoon, which was also higher than normal high tide in most places, the water came up again.