Hallo! Welcome back to day 8 of my blog. Today we had a late start, which gave us free time to try a bagel cafe near our hostel. We had delicious mozzarella, tomato, basil bagels and coffee. After our refreshing brunch, we boarded the bus for Waternoodsmuseum in the South of Holland’s Delta region called Zeeland. The drive there was picturesque Dutch countryside, with stunning views of the delta and an impressive number of windmills.
Waternoodsmuseum commemorates the floods of February 1st, 1953 and the history of floods in this region of the Netherlands, dating back to 838 A.D. The devastation of the flood in 1953 is attributed to the unusually low air pressure, high winds, and extreme rain on that day. Additionally, the damage in the dam was unable to be repaired earlier due to consistent efforts to revitalize the country after World War 2. This part really stuck with me, showing that the devastation of the war was not limited to just tragic deaths and building damage, but the war also redirected the attention from any efforts beyond relief, such as public safety. Additionally, this allowed me to reflect on the differences of the war being on your home front vs. The United States, which still experienced tragic loss but without such extensive damage.
The displays did a very good job of honoring those who died or lost their families in the disaster. The flood killed 1835 people, and one unregistered baby that was born the night prior to the disaster, which commonly is described as 1835+1. There was a display with 70 items that mean a lot to survivors, including pajamas of a young girl who woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of sirens and ran to her attic, as well as a brooch given to “mud girls,” who helped with relief efforts in Zeeland. My favorite item was a painting of a cat balancing and saving a cradle with a baby in the flooded waters, which highlights an old Dutch fable dating back to St. Elizabeth’s flood of 1421. Additionally, they had a cool display of a house that someone lived in after their home was destroyed in the flood. Many countries donated hundreds of houses, including Sweden and Norway (both neutral in the war and did not face as much devastation).
The museum itself is encompassed within the four caissons that repaired the flood damage of the dam in November of 1953. Caissons are large concrete structures that were brought by boat to repair the dam break. It was really interesting from an engineering perspective, to learn about how the floods were managed and how people are working to further prevent devastation to this level.
The museum had many displays on how we can prepare for climate change and rising sea levels, as the say “Het water blijft komen” or “The Water Will Come.” This display emphasizes the importance of learning to manage water, because it is the keystone of life, but also can be very powerful if not under control. The museum also provided interesting displays on desalinating water in the delta for safe irrigation and arable land. Additionally, the display showed how pumps and ponders work to maintain water levels in this low-lying land. At any given day, around 500 pumps are in use. This “future” leg of the museum was especially impactful for me, because I want to enter this line of work, relating to water management and environmental engineering. I believe the States can use a lot of knowledge from the Dutch people in order to strengthen our dam infrastructures, because they have a long history of flood management.
After the indoor museum, we ventured outside and admired the views of the dam and the sea, and we picked daisies from the grass to make beautiful flower crowns (okay, I picked flowers and then watched all my crafty friends braid flower crowns). Tonight, we plan to use public transit to go to the Hague outside of Rotterdam, go on a bike ride, eat dinner, and catch views of the sunset on the beach. Until tomorrow, Doei!
