We started day 10 with another semi-early morning, hopping on the bus to begin our hour-long ride to the coast around 8:30 AM. I was once again amazed by the amount of wind turbines we drove through, but I also noticed that every farm house we passed, even the ones in small suburban communities, had solar panels on the roofs. If farming communities in the US implemented a similar self-sustaining method for energy (both wind and solar), I imagine that we could mitigate some agriculture-based carbon emissions.
Upon arrival at the Delta Works, we were greeted by a nice breakfast of coffee and pastry, followed by a short movie on the history of the construction of the dams, which stemmed from the flood disaster in 1953 that we learned about at the Watersnoodmuseum two days ago. The movie highlighted the building process for the Oostershelde dam, which was the Delta Works crowning achievement. The construction took 30 years; it required the initial stabilization of the sea bed, the mattresses to be laid down, the concrete pillars to be planted, and finally the installation of the steel flood gates.
After the movie we were given a walking tour, reviewing both the 1953 disaster that sparked the construction as well as the construction process. Marco, our tour guide, explained how the gates are only closed on three conditions: wind direction, wind force, and the tidal cycle, as these three factors are what caused the initial disaster. He also showed us other dams built across the Netherlands, like Maeslantkering, the largest moving object in the world, which protects Rotterdam and inspired the dams built in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I thought that the anecdote about engineers in New Orleans asking for Dutch advice was incredibly moving as it exhibited international collaboration to solve a common problem, which is an experience that I hope to have in the engineering world.
After finishing our walking tour, we took a break to eat a quick lunch before taking a scenic boat ride to visit some seals and get a better view of the dam. Then we finished our day at Delta Works by exploring the aquarium and doing the “disaster experience” to feel what it was like to go through the devastating hurricane in 1953 from the eyes of a young girl. I hopped back on the bus feeling inspired by the Dutch engineering efforts made in the face of disaster and tired enough to take a much-needed nap on the way back!
