Today was filled with learning and good food. After a yummy breakfast at a local cafe, we got on the bus to travel 1 hour to the Watersnood museum. Watersnood means flood, and the museum is a memorial for the North Sea flood of 1953, in which over 1800 people lost their lives and 70,000 were evacuated. It was really tragic and sad, but the museum also did a good job calling attention to this event and the underlying problems in water control that still exist today. Today was insightful for me because, being from Pittsburgh, we only have rivers and no coastline. Coastline water control is not something I have ever been close to or really thought about, and it was really interesting to see all of the engineering that goes into it and what we will need to do in the future as climate change causes sea levels to continue to rise.
The museum started off with the history of the event and memorials for the people who died. There were videos to preserve interviews with those who were victims of the event. There were also many real artifacts from the event, such as a bag in which a baby was saved and kept dry, a bible a girl was holding through the event, and real blankets the red cross had to provide to those who were displaced. I also saw an area that showed all of the names of the people who died with their photos. It really personalized the event for the rest of the museum. I felt very reflective because I did not know about Watersnood before coming to this museum, and it was scary and sad to think of what happened that day and after.
The rest of the museum talked about the reconstruction efforts after the flood, and how water management has changed and will continue to change since the events of this flood. We learned about the engineering of gap closure with caissons, which are airtight structures that can be used to help build dams and have other practical uses in water control. The coolest part of the museum was that it was actually inside 4 of the caissons that were used to help with the flood disaster!!! Even though I am not doing environmental/civil, there was one thing that stuck out to me that can be applied to any type of engineering. The museum said that the use of caissons dated back to the twelfth century and had been invented by the Dutch, but traditional thinking kept them from being used in practice until this tragedy. This to me said that we as a society in future engineering should stay open to all types of ideas, even the nontraditional ones, and try to find the solution that practically works the best. I also liked to see it as a happy ending, because engineering can help prevent tragedies like this from occurring and keep people safe.
I also watched a video about the future of water management with rising sea levels as climate change causes ice at the poles to melt. For The Netherlands, the struggle against the waters has actually been a factor in their culture of Dutch democracy and consensus. It is a national concern, and Dutch people pay taxes to local water boards as well as the national government. Since the flood, The Netherlands has invested a lot of money in strengthening dykes, widening rivers, and installing systems of draining ditches, canals, and pumps. This makes me wonder if The Netherlands culture surrounding and passion for sustainability in all areas is related to their personal stake in the fact that, if global sea levels continue to rise, they may lose a lot of their homeland. I think it is interesting how the different geographic location of The Netherlands may play a role in the difference in political priorities between that and the US.
After the museum, my friends and I went on a walk to a Chinese restaurant and got to explore a new part of Rotterdam. This was awesome because I got the best dumplings I have ever had in my entire life :). One thing I really like about this city is how walkable it is, and I think it is the perfect level of crowded compared to Amsterdam. Amsterdam was fun but really crowded and it was hard to find a spot in any restaurant. Here, there are definitely still lots of people out and about, but not an overwhelming amount. We also saw a really pretty sunset again, yay!!! I continue to appreciate the late sunsets here up north, even though I do wish we could have seen the northern lights. I’m excited to visit the university tomorrow and learn about education here!
