After a great night’s sleep, we checked out of our hotel in Rotterdam at 8:30.  We then took an hour-long bus ride to Watersnood museum.  The museum is dedicated to the history of flooding in the Netherlands, specifically the flood on February 1st, 1953.  Much of the Netherlands is under sea level, so flooding has always been a prominent issue.  This specific flood was especially detrimental, and required serious reconstruction efforts.  I am not a scientist, so weather and climate isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but as a business student I can appreciate how a flooding situation like this impacts a country’s supply chain.  The destruction caused by an event like this can alter an economy, and force people to adapt.  The unique part of this museum is that it was built in an old Dyke.  This is also an interesting supply chain phenomenon, because instead of having to find suppliers to build the museum they simply used an old site.  This saves time, mony, and resources (it also makes for a pretty cool museum). 

 After the museum we visited the Delta Works center, which provided even more insight into the flooding.  As mentioned before, when natural disasters occur, people are forced to adapt.  Delta Works was set in an area that had adapted perfectly to the devastating flood of 1953.  The center was built in the middle of the flooded area, and was surrounded by wind turbines.  The experience began with a demonstration of the flood, and then a tour of the facility.  I thought it was interesting that instead of building a straight dam, they built a system that allowed the gate to be opened and closed in order to allow fish through.  This was a necessary project for the economy and supply chain as fish are important to coastal areas. After the tour we were given a boat cruise of the area, which showed us different parts of the flooding. On the cruise Frank taught us that hope is not a plan in business, which resonated with me as a relevant business concept in comparison to all of the engineering activities we have done.  Simply saying that you hope something will happen, does not signify that you have any plan in place to actually make it happen.  

After the cruise we ate lunch in the Delta Works Cafeteria, and headed back to Amsterdam.  The rest of the night is ours, and should be enjoyable considering the beautiful weather we have today!