Hi

film genre meme: [1/5] musical // Grease (1978)

On this day In Dutch history

On the night of the 31st to the 1st of February 1953, a huge flood hit the Netherlands. This is known as the ‘Waternoodsramp’ (flood disaster).

The flood was caused by a combination of a high spring tide and a north-western storm. This pushed the water in the North Sea to a record high. Areas in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Britain were hit.

In the Netherlands, Zuid-Holland and Zeeland were the most affected areas. Over 1800 people died, 100,000 people lost their house and many animals (especially farm animals) died because of the water.

In the 1920s, it was already acknowledged by the Dutch government that some of the dykes in Zeeland and Zuid-Holland were too low and too weak. There were plans to make new works (dams, sluices, barriers, etc) to protect the estuary mouths of the Netherlands. However, the Afsluitdijk and the other Zuiderzee Works had to be completed as well, and then World War II broke out and the Netherlands was in a crisis for several years after.

At the time, most radio stations did not broadcast at night, which meant the Dutch Meteorological Institute could not warn people in the areas to evacuate in time. The storm itself also took out telephone and telegraph networks. Amateur radio operators did their best in the affected areas, and most of them managed to keep up radio communications for more than a week from the affected areas with the outside world.

While most people died in Zeeland and Zuid-Holland, there were also several deaths on the island of Texel, north of Noord-Holland. Parts of Rotterdam were also flooded. After the flood, international help quickly arrived, from France, Belgium, the US, Germany and Britain, amongst others.

The Dutch government formed the Delta committee to create a plan to protect the river deltas in Zeeland and Zuid-Holland from future floods. The Deltaplan and resulting Delta Works are still one of the most ambitious works in watermanagement history. The knowledge gained from the Delta Works has also been used by Dutch specialists to help the US after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The Delta Works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees and storm surge barriers. The goal was to shorten the Dutch coastline by closing off some of the rivers from the sea. This way, fewer dykes would have to be raised.

Joined with the Zuiderzee Works, the Delta Works are considered on the 7 Modern Wonders of the World (as determined by the American Society for Civil Engineers).

The Waternoodsramp is still alive in Dutch culture, with several songs about it, a 2011 musical and a 2009 film. As this year it’s 60 years since the Waternoodsramp, the usual annual commemorations in Zuid-Holland and Zeeland are a bit bigger than usual.