BRABANT FIGHTS AGAINST WATER             

                                                Flood 1953

The weather-report of January the 31 st is as follows:

Saturday morning; a strong westerly wind

Saturday afternoon; westerly gale

But it is said to be a storm like all the other storms before and there is no reason for panic and besides; the dikes were raised and strengthened in 1906, so they are safe.

However the head managers of the department for the maintenance of ways and waterworks is worried and they send messages of quit high water untill dangerous high during the high tide of tonight.

The strong hurricane that caused a lot of damage in Scotland last Friday turns at the Northsea to N.N.W. and so is coming straight to the coast over sea.

It’ll be a heavy but after all a long-lasting storm with gusts of wind of 200 km/hour. That, what theoretical only happens once in 300 years, happens, because during the storm there will be spring-tide. There won’t be low tide because the storm doesn’t stop and the water keeps battering to the dikes.

Then happens what the inhabitants were afraid of; the alarm bells start ringing and sirens are shrieking ‘the water is coming”, because at 03.00 the dikes can’t stand the high pressure of the water and they collapse.

A dike is burst

Big parts of Zeeland and Noord-Brabant are under water.

Sunday morning the first news-items are broadcasted. The first item says ‘only a few polders are “drowned” ‘, but this will be adjusted every hour.

Not only the radio is reporting about the flood but also the newspaper.

Only at Monday, when there is connection again with the distressed area, the extent of the disaster is getting clear: 1835 people and 10.000 animals are drowned and 4500 buildings are destroyed.

Schouwen-Duiveland has disappeared under water. 70.000 People are evacuated and sheltered by guest families in Holland.

After the disaster, assistance comes from everywhere. Dutch, English and American helicopters dump food, drink and goods. Within 10 days gifts and goods all over the world stream in.  

The people who carrions away.

The military are brought into action to guard the dikes and to clear away carrions. They can return homeward at February the 17th.

It takes 9 months before the last hole in the dikes is repaired. This is done with ‘caissons’ ( a technique of 1945). At November the 6th, the last hole is repaired by Queen Juliana nearby Ouwerkerk.

To avert another disaster like this, there is established a delta committee. They have to search for the best way to avert such a disaster. They have come to the conclusion of building the Delta works; so in May 1958 the first of the Delta works is put into use.

Have a look at the Delta works.