1 - The 1953 Great Flood

Summary

During the night of January 31 to February 1, 1953, the southwest coast of the Netherlands experienced a ferocious storm, killing over 1800 people, causing untold suffering and a major economic loss. As a consequence, the Dutch government initiated the Delta Project, which, through a combination of engineering works, should make the country safe for years to come. As part of this project, risk measures were introduced, like the so-called Dutch standard of a 1 in 10 000 years safety measure. Their statistical estimation was worked out and embedded in major engineering projects. These resulted in the construction of numerous new dikes along the coast. Through this example, we highlight several aspects of hazard protection. First, mathematics has an important role to play. Second, interdisciplinarity is key. Third, with such major and costly projects, spanning several generations, a clear communication to politicians as well as the public is both demanding as well as necessary.