The first Force of Water conference took place in Zeeland, the Netherlands, on 31st January – 1st February 2023. Demonstrating the Straits Committee's commitment to learning from each other, some 50 climate and flooding experts, elected members and officers came together to discuss how Straits Committee regions are tackling water-related challenges in the context of climate change and rising sea levels.
This rich, first exchange saw a long list of challenges being shared and a selection of these will be the focus for more in-depth knowledge exchange in the next two conferences.
With the conference in Zeeland timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the 1953 flood, participants had the honour of taking part in the Netherlands’ national remembrance commemoration at the Flood Museum in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland. This very moving ceremony was followed by a public symposium where 500 guests heard testimonies of survivors of the 1953 events, as well as of the more recent 2021 inland floods in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, and speakers underlined the urgency to act in the face of climate change.
The Straits Committee was privileged to contribute to the proceedings, sharing testimonies from survivors of the 1953 storm surge in East Flanders and Essex, and how the community of Yalding in Kent has recovered after two recent severe floods.
The Straits Committee’s visit to Zeeland included a private guided tour of the Flood Museum and an early morning peak at the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier, the jewel in the crown of the Dutch Delta Works. These are some of the world’s most sophisticated sea defences and were conceived in response to the widespread damage and loss of life in 1953. The visit gave a sense of their scale and the justifiable local pride in these extraordinary feats of engineering.
For more information about the first Force of Water conference.
- A report on the conference and visit by Dr Martin Hurst, Chair of the UK Southern regional flood and coastal committee, can be seen on LinkedIn.
- The Straits Committee panel session at the Flood Museum’s symposium can be seen on the Omroep Zeeland Facebook site. The Straits panel begins at 05:48:55; the East Flanders interview and testimony is from 05:50:45; the Essex interview and testimony is from 05:56:59; the Kent interview and testimony is at 06:02:59