It only took eight days of being in the Netherlands, but I finally got to sleep in! It was nice being able to get a full eight hours, and I truly felt more recharged today than I have in several days.

After getting this rest, we were off to the Watersnoodmuseum, also known as the Flood Museum. This is a historical museum dedicated to spreading knowledge on the floods that have plagued Amsterdam and claimed many Dutch victims. It also details the technologies used to prevent these floods and how said technologies have evolved over time.

The main flood that the museum focuses on is the North Sea flood of 1953. This storm was able to cause a flood so massive that it overcame all of the Netherlands’ flood protections, such as the Dutch dikes, and destroyed several towns and claimed 1,853 human lives. This flood was a wake-up call to the Dutch government that the country was not as prepared for floods as they had previously mentioned, which led to the instant creation of the Delta Works. These are an elaborate series of constructions that are specifically designed to prevent any further floods from the North Sea.

This flood was only one of the many notable floods in the history of the Netherlands. The earliest recorded flood in the Netherlands dates back to 838 AD, and since then, every flood has led to a new innovation that is meant to prevent any further flood damage. These innovations include dikes, canals, and drainage ditches.

With all this being said, the museum also brought to light that the currently rising sea levels due to climate change could lead to adverse effects that could lead to floods too strong for the currently implemented technologies to prevent. As seen throughout history, the most effective way for governments to allow the implementation of new flood prevention technology is through another flood disaster. The museum urges the public to spread awareness of the importance of flood prevention technologies to muster the support they need, without another devastating flood taking place and claiming any more lives. The museum also encourages people to think about the climate and to take measures that could slow the rising sea level caused by climate change.

This museum was a call to the people to learn from history in order to create a better tomorrow, one that will experience a lower sea level, one that treats the environment better, and one that will not have to worry about a flood sweeping away their home.