We picked up the Wall Street Journal Europe on the plane and read this report about the lessons learned by the Dutch after the devastation in New Orleans. Molly Moore wrote about the terrible flood in 1953 that killed 1900 people in the Netherlands.
“New Orleans is a good lesson for us. It has illustrated the real case of a flooded city. Now people will be more ready to believe us than before. A five year study coming out in January will include disturbing new calculations of flood threats to the Netherlands and gaps in the country’s readiness, according to experts. “Our fear was that it would be hidden. Across Europe, the greatest natural threat in the coming years will be flooding as global warming sends more water gushing through passageways bordered by densely populated areas and overdevelopment. The potential for catastrophic devastation and death is so high in so many countries that the European Union is preparing continentwide guidelines for water management and flood control.”
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