On the night of January 31, 1953, a major storm surge hit the Netherlands, causing enormous destruction. 1,836 people and tens of thousands of animals died that night. The United States, together with other allies, offered disaster relief and sent helicopters based in Germany to save people from rooftops. "It felt like we were spectators of the end of the world," said one eyewitness. | Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States

Today, the Dutch look back on the great flood of 1953, which took the lives of more than 1,800 people. Our Water Management researcher Olivier Hoes made this impressive time-lapse, showing the way the water spread during the first two days of the North Sea flood. The '#watersnoodramp' was a major flood caused by a heavy storm that occurred on the night of Saturday, 31 January 1953 and morning of Sunday, 1 February 1953. | TU Delft