New measures adopted in the Netherlands after 1953

The country lies along the delta of three major European rivers,and nearly a quarter of its territory is below sea level.This geography makes the region extremely prone to flooding.So much so, that some of the earliest Dutch governing bodies were informal “water boards” that coordinated flood protection projects.But after the storms of 1953, the Dutch government took more official measures.They established the Delta Commission,and tasked them with protecting the entire southwestern region.Focusing on densely populated cities,their aim was to reduce the annual odds of flooding below 1 in 10,000—about 100 times as safe as the average coastal city.Accomplishing this lofty goal required various infrastructure projectsalong the southwestern coast.The first line of defense was to dam the region’s flood-prone estuaries.