Final Blog
Of the hazards we’ve learned this semester, the first I would address in the Netherlands would be their floods. This is mostly because floods are one of the most prominent hazards in the Netherlands, with a potentially damaging and life-threatening flood expected to occur at least once in the next ten years. An estimated 26% of the country is below mean sea level, with 60% of those same regions being vulnerable to floods from the North Sea, rivers, and lakes. Further, within these flood-prone areas, 60% of the population (approx. 17 million people) are at risk of facing hazards that the floods bring. Most notably, these floods occur after severe rainfall in the delta of the rivers close to populated areas. To mitigate the effects of flooding, I would suggest that the country maintains its current water management and flood defense system. Considered to have the highest safety standards worldwide, the Netherlands’ water and flood management relies on dikes built high and strong enough t...