The flood of 1916 or Zuiderzeevloed of 1916 is a flood that took place in the night between 13 and 14 January 1916 in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

along the dikes of the

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...

as a result of a

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...

Course

The flood coincided with a high water inflow of rivers causing many ruptures and structural damage in

levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...

s at dozens of places along the coastline. Some wooden houses on the island of Marken completely tumbled over. In the province

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

19 people were killed, while at sea several ships were wrecked causing another 32 casualties. Queen Wilhelmina visited the areas that were hit. Watersnood_van_1916,_Anna_Paulownapolder

Watersnood_van_1916,_Anna_Paulownapolder

Consequences

This disaster, in combination with the famine caused by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, led to a law called the Zuiderzeewet. The reinforcement of the levees, undertaken after the disaster, was finished in 1926. In 1932, the Zuiderzee was 'tamed' by constructing a 32-kilometre long levee, a barrage called the Afsluitdijk. For the fishermen, this also led to the end of their fishing activities.

Foreign help

Based on the correspondence in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

between the ambassador of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

to the government of the

, the Turks donated a sum of FL 2387.90 (equivalent of about €20,000 now) to the Netherlands in aid for the victims of the flood.

References

{{Reflist 20th century in the Netherlands History of North Holland Floods in the Netherlands 1916 natural disasters 1916 floods January 1916 events 1916 in the Netherlands 1916 disasters in the Netherlands