Flooding?

The area where I live has been hit by storms and heavy rain the last couple of days. As a result, the water in canals has reached critical levels. Now, part of Ten Boer, the village where I live, needs to be evacuated. We're on the national news now....

I will add some more info to this blip later on and I may also change the image if I get the chance to go out into the area. Right now, roads are closed.

My in-laws live in the area that may be evacuated later on today; our house is in an area that is considered safe. For now, anyway.

People remain calm and even keep a sense of humour. One man on the radio was asked about his pets and he replied: I only have fish and they are already in the water.

Update 11:10. I have created a map of the area which can be found here. Some background information:

A large part of The Netherlands is below sea level. However, the current situation is not about seawater. Heavy rains and storms have caused extreme high water in rivers and canals. The excess water is usually pumped out to sea, but the wind direction is causing sea water levels to be too high to be able to do this. We have to wait for a combination of low tide and less wind or wind from the right direction.

Update 13:40. Yes! The wind has turned and it is now possible to pump the water out to sea. Water levels are expected to drop considerably over the next couple of hours. We're not there yet but this is a huge relief! I will now go ahead with what I originally planned for today: out for landscape photography together with Ton.

Update 18:50. Due to high tide it is no longer possible to pump the water into sea. Water levels have dropped but are expected to rise again until pumping can be resumed tomorrow. A new weak spot in the Eemskanaal dike has been found; closer to Groningen than the previous one. Because of this, the people of Woltersum that were evacuated in the morning are not allowed to return to their homes. My in-laws have been told they should evacuate too, but they have refused. They have studied photographs taken during the war when the Germans flooded the area as a defense against the allied forces. Their conclusion is that their house should be safe even when the dike fails.

Update 19:00. Weather forecast predicts another storm and unfavorable wind direction. We're in for another night and day of uncertainty :-(

Update 23:20. I have given it some thought and I have decided not to change the image for today's blip. I know the photographs I took with Ton and Peter are a lot better than the one that's on display here now, but this one just fits better with how today was. To see some beautiful pictures of the sunset at the Waddensea coast near Ternaard, please visit the blog entry about today on my site.

No more news about the high water for now; I guess there will be more tomorrow...