One of the most devastating floods to hit the Netherlands was the great North Sea Flood of 1953. A storm with hurricane force winds combined with high spring tides took advantage of the confined space and shallowness of the North Sea, producing a catastrophic sea surge that engulfed not only the Netherlands, but also coastal England and Belgium. The peak of the surge was almost 11 feet above sea level with waves of over 16 feet.
The timing of this storm was particularly damning. World War 2 had left most of the defenses against storms – dams, dikes, etc in very weak and damaged condition. The Dutch’s warning system was rendered ineffective as the storm occurred late at night when most people were asleep and radio stations were not broadcasting.
In the Netherlands, approximately 100,000 people were evacuated, 340,000 acres were flooded, 47,300 buildings were damaged, 30,000 livestock were killed, and 1,836 lives were lost. In addition, there were 17 deaths in Scotland, 22 in West Flanders, Belgium, and 230 in vessels at sea (including the 133 lost on the Princess Victoria)
The Watersnoodmuseum in Ouwerkerk chronicles this extraordinary event and its aftermath. It is actually a “living museum” as it was built within 4 structures, called caisons that were built to seal the breaches within the North Sea dike. A caisson is a large concrete form (62’ long x 20’ tall x 18’ wide):
Four of these caissons were placed in the breach of the dike at Ouwerkerk. They became the home of the Watersnoodmuseum, as a memorial to the struggle against the sea.
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The museum today:
Linked by underground passages, The Watersnoodmuseum exhibits stories, items, photographs and videos showing the scale of this disaster. Caisson I tells the story of the flood. Showing what happened during the first few days, it reveals many personal documents, newspaper articles, photographs, film footage and radio reports.:
Caisson II reveals the story of the people. The video at the top of this post scrolls a list of those who perished, while water courses beneath them in a long tunnel- it was very moving, These images were also impactful:
Caisson III tells the story of the reconstruction and development of the region from 1953 to the present, beginning with the beginning of the Delta Works project. The aim of the Delta Works was: to protect the Netherlands from flooding, now and in the future, to secure sufficient supplies of freshwater; to make the country climate-proof. It built a giant flood-control project that closed off the open sea areas with dikes , creating freshwater lakes that are free of tides. The risk of flooding was reduced to one in 4,000 years. Delta Works is recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
N.B. This is another reason I am so in awe of the Dutch.
This part of the museum also contained items of the time- from actual clothes to reconstructed kitchens:
Screenshot
Caisson IV speaks to the future – despite the advances in flood protection, the battle still rages. Climate change and other factors will continue to create new problems to solve and the Netherlands and its people are committed to meeting the challenge. New projects that are in process are hoped to increase safety, stimulate economic growth and improving local ecology:
They should do a World Tour – we all could use their ingenuity.
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OhCindy- Diana and I are in the Netherlands right now- down in Venlo last night at Bilderberg Chateau Hotel and today to Kindersdijk, Amerdoorf and now at Schipol waiting to fly home tomorrow afternoon to Vancouver! Great 10 day trip to Belgium, France and Switzerland before the Netherlands! Had a great time !