Whensday: The Flood Disaster of 1953

On February 1, 1953 - 70 years ago -  the Netherlands experienced a terrible natural disaster that shaped the country from then on. In the middle of the night, after severe storms, the water in the rivers and the seas rose so much that much of the southwestern coast of The Netherlands was flooded and more than 3000 people died. 

This is a tragedy at any time an in any place in the world, but at this moment - not long after the ravages of World War II - and in this seemingly modern country, it was devastating. In the country that for centuries had tamed the seas and learned how to live under sea level, nature had struck back and the country was brought to its knees. 

But that was the impetus for a renaissance of technology that has stretched Into the 21st century. These days, when a country wants to know how to deal with water, they come to The Netherlands and ask advice. It was Dutch engineers who were consulted after Katrina devastated Louisiana. Dutch engineers have been consulted and are at work in solving problems in Bangladesh. This tragedy 70 years ago ignited again the desire in the Dutch to conquer the water around them and turn it to their advantage. 

The Dutch rebuilt the villages, towns and cities along the coast, but not before they built an amazing wall to keep out the sea. This wall can open and close, leaving life open to the sea when it is safe, and closing off the waters when they become precipitously dangerous. Knowledge about dikes, canals, tides, beaches and more became common knowledge for the Dutch - and turned into shared knowledge for the world. 

Interestingly, much of that knowledge could not really help in 2021 when the rivers south of the country flooded in a short week, flooding some villages and towns in Belgium and the south of The Netherlands and threatening the cities further north. Questions arose about how things had been built as well as about how to protect against such natural disasters. The tenacity and adaptability of the Dutch have made them the eminent scholars and practitioners of works with water. 

In recent days we have seen a disaster that will resonate for years to come with people in Turkey and Syria. It reminds one of the quakes in Japan and Los Angeles where v=builders learned lessons. But the pain remains as a reminder to all who will listen.