The levees were not maintained correctly and were not able to hold back the rising sea levels. This had a very big effect on the population of the Netherlands, and many people had to move out of their homes. Since this flood, the Dutch people have worked hard to find new ways to control their water levels. They had to be very creative and use methods that combined natural and manmade forces. Eventually they became leaders in the field of flood control.
This need is being met by many creative Dutch flood control methods. One of the oldest methods used by the Dutch to drain swampy areas is the use of windmills. Wind pushes the fan of the windmill, which provides power to drain swampy areas. This process creates something called a polder, which is an area of dry land surrounded by dikes. Dikes are structures built next to water to prevent overflowing. While these polders have been effective at draining land and keeping away small floods, the Dutch use many more modern methods of flood control now. After the 1953 floods, the Dutch created a flood control system that is known as the Delta Works. The Delta Works is made of nine dams and four storm barriers that decrease the amount of coastline, so that flooding is less likely. However, with increasing sea levels due to climate change, people have started to work on even more creative and modern flood control solutions like a “Sand Engine.” This project created a large sand structure along the coast in South Holland, which was then slowly and naturally carried by the waves to nearby beaches.
