Time for the USA to think like the Dutch?

Image from http://www.nytimes.com

The Netherlands - Centuries of Flood Prevention

The Big Bags USA team came across a very interesting NY Times article from November of 2012 and we wanted to share some highlights.  The Netherlands is one of the most flood prone countries in the world and the Dutch can offer some valuable lessons and insight for flood prevention in the USA.

Radical reshaping of American Flood response needed

As stated in the article, the Dutch "“way of thinking is completely different from the U.S.,” where disaster relief generally takes precedence over disaster avoidance, said Wim Kuijken, the Dutch government’s senior official for overall water control policy. “The U.S. is excellent at disaster management,” but “working to avoid disaster is completely different from working after a disaster.”

While no hurricanes strike the Netherlands, ferocious storms do, and for centuries the Dutch have held back water with 50,000 miles of dikes. Two-thirds of the population including their major cities live on flood-prone land, much of it below sea level.



Dismayed by waterlogged Manhattan

In the article, Peter Glas, president of the Dutch Association of Regional Water Authorities, known as Waterschappen says he was dismayed by images on television of darkened, waterlogged buildings in Lower Manhattan, and wondered how the area would have fared if it “had a Dutch approach to the problem.” American society, he said, “is more dependent on self-protection and taking care of your own household,” attitudes that make it difficult to mobilize public attention and money to prevent disasters ahead of time.


Lessons from the Dutch

Communities must prepare in advance for flood events by strategically planning how to save lives and protect property before the next flood hits them.  Like the Netherlands, the US must invest money now to stockpile flood prevention supplies and become more proactive in its thinking about prevention versus disaster relief. 

Full NY Times article

If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please call at (573) 480-6699 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.

BIG BAGS U.S.A.

D.R.I.P.S.
Disaster Relief & Innovative
Protection Systems, LLC
(573) 480-6699

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