Why did the 1953 storm surge happen

Many of the dykes in the south-west of the Netherlands were too low and too weak. In the preceding years the water boards had carried out little maintenance on the dykes and there had been too little investment in them.

Although the national government had spent some money on flood protection, the issue had received less priority during the post-war reconstruction after Part of the reason why the disaster has gone down in history as a rare event, is the extreme water levels and the duration of the storm, which lasted more than 24 hours.

After the disaster, the damage had to be repaired. The national government paid for the repair of the breached dykes and coordinated the operation. Thousands of workers and more than 4, troops, including some from other countries, joined forces to repair the dykes. On 6 November , 9 months after the disaster, the final hole in the dyke system was sealed in Ouwerkerk on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland in Zeeland.

Aid operations were organised in the Netherlands and other countries to help the affected areas. The Red Cross played an important role in these efforts. Donations of money, goods and clothing poured in from around the world. Dutch footballers played a friendly international match against France to raise money for the flood victims. Much of the Netherlands lies below sea level. The disaster of demonstrated more clearly than ever the importance of protecting the country properly against flooding.

Stricter safety standards were adopted for primary flood barriers. The barriers were raised to the minimum height the so-called Delta height as prescribed in the Delta Act required to protect the Netherlands against flood tides and money is still invested every year to further strengthen the flood defences.

The Delta Works were built by Rijkswaterstaat to protect the Netherlands against flooding. In total, the Delta Works consist of 3 sluices, 6 dams and 6 storm surge barriers. Storm surge barriers are moveable flood barriers at river mouths, tidal inlets and estuaries which close, automatically or otherwise, when water levels are extremely high. Flood protection is a never-ending task in this country. One of the ways we raise awareness and keep people informed is with news reports on our website and our social media channels.

In , for example, we posted frequent reports on the New Years storm on January 2 and 3 with a live blog and the peak water level in the Rhine near Lobith. The Watersnood museum in Ouwerkerk is devoted to the events during and after the flood of In addition to describing the facts and circumstances of the flood, the museum also raises visitors' awareness of what they can do to improve their safety.

For example, one section of the museum is devoted to explaining to children and adults what they will need to take with them if flooding forces them to flee to the attic of their home. Overstroom ik? By entering their postal code, visitors to the site can see how high the water will rise in the event of a flood where they live. The site also provides tips and recommendations. For example, what is the best response to a threat of flooding: to evacuate or to stay where you are?

The failure of any preventative measures meant many people - babies, adults and the elderly - went to bed that on that fateful night of Saturday 31 January not knowing of the devastation to come and for many that they would not wake up in the morning How did the storm form? The path of the storm. The Terrain The east coast of the UK has a number of low lying areas, some of which are barely above sea level, most notably in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Essex and the mouth of the Thames area.

Lack of warning That afternoon of 31 January , a number of people noticed a weak tidal ebb. The MV Princess Victoria. The storm surge in Erith, near London. Immediate aftermath The preliminary emergency response came from the surviving community itself due to delays in communicating for outside assistance.

The devastation in The Netherlands. Rescue in Harwich. Post flood Questions soon began to emerge regarding the complete lack of warning given to the population and the consequent number of deaths. Sign up for our newsletter Enter your email address below to get the latest news and exclusive content from The History Press delivered straight to your inbox.

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The Little Book of Wales Buy. The Little Book of Wicklow Buy. Related links:. Print page to PDF. About the author. Alexander Hall is a historian interested in the intersection of science, policy, and the environment, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Institute for Science and Technology Studies at York University, Toronto. Themes Disasters. Keywords dams floods storm surge storms cyclones. Explore on map. Javascript is required to view this map. Explore on timeline. All Arcadia Collections Coastal History.

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