 Two years ago, when I arrived to the Netherlands to study Integrated Water Management, I was surprised and fascinated by so much water everywhere. The amazing landscape, shaped by rivers, which flow across the extensive green plains, giving life along the Eirut to the North Sea, called immediately my attention. Since then, I like to contemplate those nice sceneries for hours, comforted by their peace and harmony. Rivers, canals, windmills, dykes, boulders, and flood plains make a perfect combination to keep the Dutch feet dry. But, sometimes the situation can be different. In 1953, a huge storm affected the coast and flooding occurred. It was one of the biggest floods in the history of the Netherlands. 1,836 people died, 200,000 cattle drowned, and almost 200,000 hectares of land were flooded. Once in a lifetime, the Netherlands could be considered as a gateway for water, where all the water has to be discharged into the sea to avoid flooding. A complex water management system has been developed since the 9th century to ensure the Dutch national safety. There are 3,500 kilometers of sea and river defenses. Without these defenses, two-thirds of the country would be flooded when rivers or the sea are at high tide. But, are Dutch people afraid of living in the Netherlands? I was so curious that I went to investigate, in the Riverland and the Dutch Duffelt area, located in the central east of the Netherlands. Walking and riding my bike along dykes and roads near the rivers Rhine, Val and Meuse, I found picturesque villages and towns, historical sites, water recreation activities, nature and friendly people willing to share their experiences about the high water and evacuation of 1995. So, what happened in 1995? A lot of places in Germany it was raining, along the river Main, the river Mussel and also along the river Rhine, and all the water came together and came to the Netherlands. And that caused the high water of 1995, also because it was a very long period that it was raining, rather lower in 1993. Of course it was a high water, and also the area between the river and the dyke was flooded, but it was also a shorter period, and it was not that high. In 1995 it was nearly to the critical border of high water in the dykes. On January of 1995, the water level in the rivers increased critically. One year before, on December of 1993, there was also a high tide in the area. What was the difference between 1995 and 1993? The flooding of 1993 was the first serious flooding after 1926, so we had a long period with no floodings, with a lot of dyke improvements, but no experience in what can happen when the water level is coming that high. During the floods or the high water level, because it wasn't a flood, if you have to read, the high water levels during Christmas 1993, they were really high, but in a short period. But in those days, there was not a really idea of evacuation at that moment, it was not that long. The flood levels in the Netherlands are, the water is coming very fast, and then it is high for a few days, and then it is going down again. But then that happens in December 1993, that happened. But then the situation in 1995 was comparing to 1993, a lot more water, more high, and people are more afraid of the idea, okay, this is the second time and we want to help here. On January 13, 1995, the evacuation was declared, and 250,000 people along the river ball, and 13,000 along the river mules, moved to safer places due to the risk of flooding because of the high tide in the rivers. The evacuated regions were the river land, including the Fommeler Bart, the Baytube, the Lamp van Maas en Bal, the Dutch Doveld, including the Oipolder, and the east part of Horehim. And who made the decision to evacuate? The decision comes from the... He asked the board, can you guarantee that the tax will not improve? Then the board said, no, we can't. And then, after that, said the mayor. Then I ordered evacuating the people of Nijmegen. The other majors are not responsible for that decision because he was the coordinated mayor of all the majors in that area. I would have been so scared. Some evacuated residents shared their emotions during those days. Our experience during the evacuation was not... It was more or less nice. We had a nice time in Nijmegen with our daughter, but it was not a situation that was normal. We were in the same town as you were, you could drive from home, but you couldn't return to home. You had to return to your daughter in not a friend, not another place, but not a place you belonged to. I think we were very quiet, but when you see the whole surrounding moving and very concerned about their stuff, you think, well, maybe we should do also tempsing because otherwise we will be the only ones when things happen, who will have many damage, and people will laugh at you. So let's move also some stuff to the second floor. Our behavior was more due to the fact that other people were very excited about the whole thing. We were calm, we had the idea it will be good. We don't think that the water came, but the neighbors here were very, very stressful. At first, for a place where they could stay, but also for an old panic. And that was a great difference for a part because they have not many friends, so then it is difficult to find an address. But also because they are born here on the dyke, and they know how it was in 1926, and that was panic. I was not aware that they were serious about it, but it was a bit strange, but not that the neighbor said, I have a lot of reasons for it. I just gave them a bit of advice, I think they have a bit of experience. You felt very secure, because it was also very clear that the police could take care of your own property. People from the village actually had the experience from the Second World War. The Second World War actually by purpose, the Dutch actually made the reaches in the dyke, so the area was flooded, and people knew exactly which places of the village where the water would go first, which would have the deeper water levels. So all this information was very valuable, and that was actually never a panic. At first I didn't feel too much, because I was thinking, maybe it wouldn't happen, but if they say we have to leave, I will leave. But at the moment I left, biking on the dyke, and seeing the water level that high, I thought it's good that we are leaving, because at that moment I was very impressed of the situation. All of the east of Gorken was quiet. There was nothing, only the water, at one side, but at the other side it was silent. It was very... At that moment, yes, it was very impressive. When we had to leave the MA, they all put something over the front door, so it wasn't possible to enter the houses. So at all the roads, there were MA people watching, and taking care of every... all the houses. And when I came back, it was very nice to stay in front of your front door, and to take the little piece of... ...plakpak, I call it, and then you could enter with your key, the front door, and enter your house. It was a very good feeling. So everyone was going his way to his own house, and everyone was happy. I think within a few days, there were a lot of people very angry, because they made... they took a lot of their stuff from their homes, and it cost a lot of money. When you have a new wooden floor, there were people who decided, I will take it with me. My new kitchen, I will take it with me. So they have to install it again, and it cost a lot of money, and they were angry because no one could pay them for that money. We have always lived with water, and we know it comes very high, but we are all afraid of high water. I was never afraid, because you hardly know what can happen, you know. Like I said, during the evacuation, the dikes could burst, and we were still in very low ground there. You didn't even think about it, you only think the government said it would burst right now, so we would be trusted the government. I was so surprised by the calm of the evacuated people, but still, I was sure that after this experience, people would be afraid, and people's lives would have changed, but apparently not. Nothing. By the higher dives, and by the room for the river program, we are not afraid of high water. Professionally, it made the whole water sector aware that things could go wrong, because for many years, things went well in water management, and we were sleeping not aware that it could go wrong, and then at that time, we had two times high water levels. So two times in two years, that was quite an alarm for the water sector. Well, things can go wrong, and that changed a lot in policy and so on. But for me personally, well, I think it has that big impact, not on our family, but on our children. Well, they were young, but the way of the situation, they have never talked about it all quite at night. It was just an interesting event, but it didn't affect me or my family as far as I know. I remember it was even a nice occasion to sleep, to stay for probably two or three days at the house of my brother-in-law, and continue to work in David's. And my wife had no jobs, so I think the children was in 1995. I had only at that time a son, who was five years old, so probably he was happy as well, because he didn't need to go to school anymore, because school is here close by. That's it, so it didn't impress me much. Not really, because it was too short. It only made that when we came back to Gorkum and tried to find another house, not because of the evacuation, but a few years later we went to Maastricht, and when we came back we decided we have to find a house in the centre, because it's much higher, and with less risk than living in the east, because it's a bath. The lowest part of the bath where the water leaves, that's East Gorkum. At the end, not really. Now the first thing was what I realised, but that was already during the flood wave. Actually, then I realised I bought a house in a vulnerable area. So there is a risk, and this risk actually could mean that I had to leave my house, even if there would not be a flood, but that I have to be prepared, and that I need to take my measures. And we were also prepared to go to family, so we discussed that with my family, and they are living on the higher places in southern part of the Netherlands. So there was also preparations there. So that didn't really change. The only thing is that you start to think about the value of your property. Actually never we thought about, for instance, in misconstruction material, if we would have a wooden floor or a floor with tiles. Finally we have floor with tiles, but that was not because of the flood risk. So very quickly you start, actually what we did before, you completely rely on the technology in the Netherlands, because the times are hard enough that the water management is okay so that the flood wave is properly managed, and that the governance structure, so that the plans, evacuation plans are up to date, and also that the responsible persons actually know what to do, what their job is, what their responsibility is all. Not so very much. I was afraid that our building program, which was in the lowest part of Horkham, should be, well, that people shouldn't buy houses at all in a dangerous area, which was evacuated, but after several weeks you couldn't see it, that people bought houses as normal. So you can see that in Holland we know the danger of water, but we can handle it, also in our minds. Because nothing had happened seriously, of course they have to be evacuated with a lot of emotions. If you have to let your house with all your belongings and your cattle, then it's an emotional situation, but when they returned, everything was there, and they could pick up their life as before the evacuation. And personally I have not heard about people that were emotionally affected afterwards of the high water. Maybe some one or three people have left the area because of, but it was not a big issue. So, some residents were emotionally affected, and others became aware of living in a risky area. Still, in general, people are not scared and nothing really changed in their lives, but they do remember. Let's listen to this story. Three weekends ago, they were here in the area, was a theater group, the Platz, and the team was evacuation. The evacuation of 1995. One of the theaters was a farmer who told how difficult it was for him to evacuate all his cows. He had a hundred of cows, but he had a car where he could transport ten cows and not more. So he had to road ten times, and he told how difficult it was to come back to the farm because on the roads, all the people from all the villages here stood there, and he could not fern because the people from Oei had all transported the furniture, all these things, so the road was full. It was very, very nice. And many towns have their own remembrances. Newspapers, the government, and some citizens publish books and booklets with stories from evacuated people, describing their emotions. I found so many. Residents collected these books and newspapers about the event. Twenty-two years after, people still keep them. Definitely, they remember. So, I identified many commemorations after ten and twenty years, such as books, booklets, online requests to share stories and pictures, and specific events like theater and photo exhibitions. Let's see why people still remember and commemorated the high water and evacuation in 2005 and 2015. Well, I think it's for two reasons. Reason one is that the remembrances is very important to give place in people's minds, in the people who were already in the region when they have to be evacuated. Maybe it's also for their children. It's very important that they are united. It's a thing that they all have gone through. So, you have to remember that in a certain way. On the other hand, it's also good to make sure for the people in the region who were new in the region that they know that things like this can happen. Because it's twenty years ago and when it's more than twenty years ago, it's not in the minds of the people of the Netherlands. People in the region who lived there already lived there when they were evacuated. No problem. But in the other parts of the Netherlands, they know there was an evacuation. But when you ask why and what happened and how do we deal with that, I think it's good for everybody that it's shown again. I cannot talk for them, but I think everyone remembers the event because it has quite an impact. It has on everyone's life to leave your house. People were a lot in certainty what will happen with their house during the absence. And yeah, like I said, farmers that had a much bigger effect because they were very worried about the cattle and the animals that they could put there, because these ones, the cattle and so on, they always had to be evacuated as well. So particularly for farmers, I think they suffered if you can use that word a lot more. Things like that hardly ever happened in Holland. We don't have hurricanes and we don't have huge forages and stuff like that. So there was one of the dangerous things that happened in a very big area of Holland. So we always remember it. The elderly people who did that were evacuated from the war, I think. And for those people, they had a lot of pressure, of course, because they had to leave their house. Well, it has been a very... Well, when you evacuate, it has an enormous impact because you have to leave your house and you are not sure that the house will be there after one week. So this has an enormous impact. And when happily enough, when you return, everything is there, then, yes, you can't imagine how it explodes with speed. And that's a remembrance that will always be with you when you are part of that process. That's one reason. The other reason is that people who haven't been evacuated, you have to tell always in Holland that there is a risk of what... We'll manage it, the risk, but there is no 100% safety. So everyone has to remember that it can be possible these times come together.