Revisited – Netherlands: Risk of submersion persists 70 years after deadly tidal wave

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In 1953, a gigantic storm swept across the North Sea and caused a tidal wave in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. Many dykes controlling water levels were simply swept away as the water spread far inland. While more than 300 people died in the UK, more than 1,800 lost their lives in the Netherlands. At the time, around a fifth of the Netherlands was below sea level. More than 2,000 square kilometres of land were flooded there, including almost the entire province of Zeeland. Protective structures have since been created. But will they be sufficient to hold back the expected rise in sea levels due to climate change? FRANCE 24’s Alix Le Bourdon reports.

Following this disaster, the Delta Plan was launched in the Netherlands with the aim of protecting its coasts: 500 kilometres of dykes and barriers were built to make the largest water defence structure in the world. Even today, dykes are still being raised and dunes created. But with climate change, rising sea levels and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, questions are being asked about whether these precautions are sufficient.