Today, after an hour private transfer, we arrived at Delta Works. Here we first took a look around the museum and attended a reenactment of the 1953 flood. We experienced the wind and loud noises that those who were in the flood did. Afterwards there was tea and cinnamon rolls to enjoy and then we watched a documentary on how they built the Delta Works and how the system operates. We then got an in-depth tour of the Delta Works where our tour guide went into detail about how they were created and how they operate.

Delta Works is a massive flood protection system built between 1954 to 1997 to safeguard many of the provinces in the Netherlands. The system includes 13 major dams, including four barrier dams and nine secondary dams, along with storm surge barriers. Its primary goal is to shorten the coastline, reducing the length of dikes exposed to the sea and improve flood protection for densely populated areas, many which lie below sea level. The Delta Works were created after a catastrophic North Sea flood in 1953, which killed 1,836 people in the southwestern Netherlands. They created the Delta Works to prevent future floods and also improve freshwater management and protect agricultural land. Some key features include the Oosterscheldedam, the largest and most famous barrier, stretching 2.8 km with adjustable gates that allow tidal flow under normal conditions but can be closed during storms to prevent flooding. There are also five storm surge barriers that protect the estuaries from high tides and storm surges. The dams and sluices connect islands and control water levels, creating freshwater lakes and improve navigation. Roads and bridges were built over many dams, ending some of the isolation of islands and improving connectivity.

After our in-depth tour, we had the rest of the day at the Delta Works to discover our own facts about the historical and impactful bridges. There was a live seal show where the seals, which they found caught in fishing nets and decided were too injured to return to the ocean, did tricks for treats. There was also a wind tunnel that went up to 160 km, or almost 100 miles per hour. This was the real wind speed that those caught in the 1953 flood experienced. Finally, to end the day, we walked over to the Delta Works to see the system up close. We noticed the structural build of the bridge and how it comes to block the water when the sea levels are set to rise. Overall, the structure seemed to help the people who were concerned about flooding and still helped the fishermen to fund their lifestyles and keep their jobs.