FEMA's overall response

Modern Holland / Netherlands

Modern Holland or The Netherlands is more than just wooden shoes and Windmills, Tulips, Cheese and boys with their finger in a Dike. Holland in the 21st century is not only famous because of their Flowers but also for the high-tech industries like Philips, Unilever, Akzo, Shell and other multinational companies. The Dutch are also an important investor in cities like New York (Manhattan) and other cities and Countries all over the world.

But even that I will tell the story of the things Holland is most famous for in modern times and also in the past. The ancient history has already been told on my Holland history page, worth a visit.

Holland and the Sea (North sea)

Almost 50 % of our Country lies beneath sea level so we live whole our live with water all around and millions of people live beneath sea-level, I myself live in a city surrounded with rivers on an island called The island of Dordrecht (near Rotterdam) so I know what water is and also how dangerous it can be. On my Dordrecht pages you can read more of my hometown Dordrecht with nice pictures of the oldest city of Holland.



We Dutch have always fought the North-Sea and are experts in building dikes, windmills and waterworks. We reclaimed a lot of land from the Sea and were mostly victorious but sometimes we lost the fight, also in the 20th century. One of the most frightening event was the Flood of 1953.

The Flood of 1953

In 1953 a disaster occurred in Zeeland and South-Holland, a tidal wave broke the dikes at several points, flooding the islands. 1835 people died, 500.000 became refugees and 260.000 ha. of fields were ravaged. Its effects could even be felt far inside the Country, so a national disaster. Many cities and villages were heavily damaged during this flood, in my hometown, Dordrecht, the flood also damaged some dikes, streets and buildings and near the city 3 people drowned, but the worst happened in Zeeland.



A broken dike in Zeeland A village in the water

 

Zeeland and South-Holland after the flood

To prevent another such catastrophe, the Dutch government launched the Delta project, to protect the people of South-West Netherlands (Zeeland and South-Holland) against the North-sea. The realization lasted from 1958 to 1987 and cost billions of guilders. Four main dams, two of which with lock-gates, and several secondary dams located in the rear, close to the estuaries. All of the dams reduced the length of the shore by 70 kilometers, creating soft water reserves, putting an end to the fields saltiness, avoiding the floods, easing the communications and the area's soaring.



Delta Plan

"God created the world, but The Netherlands were created by the Dutch."



Map of the Delta works, northern part (South-Holland islands), in The Netherlands

The aim of the Plan is enhance safety by radically reducing the length of and reinforcing the coastline. These measures were laid down in 1958 in the Delta Act.

The two most impressive barriers are the Storm Surge Barrier in the Ooster-Schelde (Zeeland) and The New Waterway Storm Surge Barrier near Rotterdam (South-Holland).



click image to enlarge

The Oosterschelde dam

The crown on this giant flood-control project is the barrier dam that stretches 1.75 miles across the three channels of the Eastern Schelde. This dam consists of several strings of gates and their massive supporting pylons which, in normal weather, allow tidal sea waters to ebb and flow in the Eastern Schelde estuary, thus benefiting the fish and bird life and the local fisheries, even in the national park "The Biesbosch" part of the tide exist. During a severe storm however, like the one in 1953, the gates can be dropped to keep out the high tides and storm surges and prevent them from inundating the adjacent lowlands.


The Oosterscheldedam (repeat after me: Ooster-schelde-dam) where the Delta Expo is located, on one of the two artificial islands. The construction of the dam started in 1976, was achieved ten years later. Three kilometers long, this anti-tempest dam is constituted of 65 pillars between which one can slide 62 iron flood-gates. The height of one pillar is 38 meter and its weight 18.000 tons. When the sea becomes dangerous, one hour is enough to lower the flood gates. This system affords to keep 75% of the tide amplitude as well as the fishing industry, the breed of mussels and oysters and above all, the unique eco-system of The Biesbosch. To be complete, the site is powered by (guess what?)... air motors worthy of their windmill? too!

The Oosterscheldedam is situated in Zeeland, just an hour and a half driving distance from Amsterdam and half an hour from Dordrecht. This is a "absolute recommend" for those interested in water management.

 

click image to enlarge

The Storm Surge Barrier in the Easter-Schelde, also called the 8th world miracle.



The Storm Surge Barrier in the Easter-Schelde in action

The Maaslandkering

On 12th may 1997 the Delta works were finished, 44 years after the flood disaster, with the opening of The New Waterway Storm Surge Barrier (near Rotterdam), the plan to protect the Netherlands against the sea.

The Storm Surge Barrier at Rotterdam is the largest hydraulic project in the Netherlands. It is nearly as long as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and weighs four times as much.



The Maaslandkering



The finished Maaslandkering (near Rotterdam)







The Maaslandkering in close up

The Dutch people conquered the North-sea with their famous Delta works and saved the people in Zeeland and Zuid-Holland from drowning into the sea.

A nice website about the Delta Works.



Windmills

The Dutch have always struggled with the North-Sea and their Rivers, that's way there are a lot of Windmills in Holland. Some of them were used to pulverize grain and other food, some were to maintain the water level in the rivers and canals. The Windmills were used until the beginning of the 20th century.

That there are still so many windmills in Holland is simply because the Spanish lunatic Don Quichote and his companion Sancho, never came so far up North to fight them....

 

c'mon you'e had plenty of time to present your proof of the mexican troop's on patrol.....where are they? you make these claim's with no intention of showing proof , other than alex say's so...what a sheep you have become...

 

I Work For A Truck Company, And Fema Currently Owes Us About $40,000 For The 2 Weeks We Helped Them Bring Water And Ice Down From Me, Ny, Vt, And Pa. Water Normally Would Pay You About $2500.00 To Go To La.

 

CAD, I'm not your Daddy. Do the goddamn research yourself. I only post what I've heard. And I didn't find out from Alex Jones, I found out from watching CNN.

"what a sheep you've become"

Nice try.

 

..

i guess you can believe who you want , alex seem's to think they were armed, yet only has eyewitness account's, no pic's , how handy. but yet eveyone else publish's pic's of unarmed troop's

 

hmm I thought the mexicans offered to send in troops?? as a noble jesture?? after all the help america does for other countries, its only right for countries to bring the generosity back, dontcha think?

 

well, if we don't accept it, we're being arrogant and isolationist.

though considering the death toll being as low as it is in such a HUGE region, i think people in general did far better than we gave them credit for.