Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Learning Dutch is a must!

Dutch contracts and employment law

The Dutch make peace with the water

Dutch u-turn on soft drugs tolerance

A quick guide to Dutch insurance

Report: Expatica's "i am not a tourist" Fair 2009

Expatica opens in the UK!

Amsterdam grapples with integration since filmmaker's murder

Wilders makes half of Dutch Muslims want to emigrate

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Life in News Focus Is the Netherlands waterproof?

News Focus

archive
Print Email Comment Subscribe
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size

03/11/2008Is the Netherlands waterproof?

A major five-day flood disaster exercise involving about 10,000 civil servants and rescue workers throughout the Netherlands kicked off on Monday.

A major five-day flood disaster exercise involving about 10,000 civil servants and rescue workers throughout the Netherlands kicked off on Monday.
 
Dutch dyke bursts in the 1953 floods
The disaster practice has been given the name ‘Waterproef’ which, although it sounds like the English ‘waterproof’, actually means water-test.
 
It is designed to show whether councils, provincial administrations and government institutions would be able to pull together well enough in the face of the worst imaginable flood disaster.
 
A man in my train carriage this morning phoned his work to explain that the train was running late: “ It’s something to do with this disaster practice thing,” he said. He seemed unaware that most of the exercise will be confined to offices where administrators will be faced with hypothetical questions on issues such as large-scale evacuations and rehousing.
 
Oosterscheldedam
Today’s emergency scenario involves a severe storm in the North Sea, coupled with high spring tides, high seas, massive waves and rivers bursting their banks. Later in the week, exercises will centre on problems such as an unexpected breach in a dyke near Lelystad to the east of Amsterdam.
 
People in just a few areas are going to be directly affected by disaster simulations. In the central Dutch town of Leerdam, 200 people will take part in an evacuation exercise, and a rescue demonstration is being held near Nijkerk to the northeast of Utrecht. Emergency sandbags will be laid at two weak spots in the sea-defence dunes near Katwijk on the coast north of The Hague.
Have your Dutch News delivered straight to your inbox - sign up for our e-mail newsletter now!

Print Email Comment Subscribe

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating

0 reactions to this article

Reply
Life in essentials
Life in forums
participate in the forums
Life in expert Q&A
ask your question
Life in A-Z listings
find the business you need
Discussion Forums

Discuss Dutch Culture

Hooligans, by cloggieking

International News

US soldier slaughters own troops in gun rampage, by cloggieking

International News

Intelligence Squared, by Wild Rose Country

International News

Five gun attack dead named by MoD, by PanatellaFred

International News

Americans Wake Up, by Wild Rose Country

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Healthcare in the Netherlands

Healthcare in the Netherlands

Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.

The Netherlands at a glance

The Netherlands at a glance

Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.