ABSTRACT
The netherlands has witnessed quite a number of water-related disasters in its history. In fact, catastrophes have been recorded from the 15th century on. The last major flood dates to 1953, when large parts of the southwestern part of the country were flooded, and about 1,835 people lost their lives. More recently, in 1995, 250,000 people were evacuated because a polder along the Rhine River was in danger of being inundated.
