The article looks at the various contexts of the 1982 flood. It attempts to take a broader view of the political and social aspects of this event. An important aim of the research carried out by the author was to establish the nature of the political causes of this flood and its dramatic developments. It should be stressed that not only the severe winter but also the trauma caused by the atmosphere of the first weeks of martial law heightened people’s fears of losing their lives, health and often their achievements of many years of work. One factor that gave the flood victims some hope of overcoming their predicament was the public’s generosity and spontaneous displays of concern for the fate of those affected.