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3 '9
Invasion of Holland by the North Sea—worst since the Middle Ages—struck
just when the Dutch had begun to get their heads above water. Only week before
the Dutch said they were strong enough to do without U.S. economic aid. Now:
A_big_chunk of Holland can grow nothing, produce no exports for years.
AMul_§jillion_Hollanders are homeless. Death toll may top 2,000.
Al—l^astthree_years_of_hard work will be necessary to get worst-flooded
parts back into production. Some of 375,000 acres under water have already been
drained. Some will take months. Dikes have first to be repaired. North Sea
has then to be pumped out. Salt may be a problem. It's to be a long, costly job.
Dutch officials can only guess at damage, cost of repairs, at this time.
Total costs will well exceed a billion dollarsa lot for Holland.
Dutch defense may have to be cut, contribution to European Army reduced.
Dutch trade, already heading for some decline, will suffer. Flood means
export decline, import rise, a setback in gold and dollar reserves.
U.S. will have to take new look at Holland's economic needs.
No. 1 job in Holland, as soon as rescue work is cleaned up, will be to re
pair the dikes. This is always the first order of business for the Dutch.
Wartime flooding gave the Dutch some recent experience, though on nowhere
near the present scale. To show what can be done
Flooding of Walcheren Island late in the war opened 38,000 acres to the
sea. Dutch engineers got busy on V-E DayMay 8, 1945. Experts said it would
take, seven to nine years before crops would grow on this land again. Actually:
By January 1, 1946, the Walcheren Island dikes were repaired. By end of 1948,
nearly all the land on the Island was producing crops. Instead of nine years,
the job was done in about threeBut this time, it's a much bigger job.
North Sea gales, winter weather will hold back repairs. Work on the dikes
can be done only at low tide. Then: Batteries of pumps will force sand into the
breaks in the dikes. Barges, concrete pontoons will be sunk as a base for new
sea walls. Once dikes are repaired, job will be to pump the water back into the
North Sea. Huge pumps do this. Treating land will take longer, if salt water
has penetrated very deep. Whole .job may take three years, or more, this time.
But, sooner or later, the Dutch will get their land back. They always have..
