How Dutch Stormwater Management Could Mitigate Damage From Hurricanes

Recent hurricane seasons have been vicious, last year’s killed more than a hundred people and inflicted more than $50 billion dollars in damages.

The country is still deep in recovery and this year’s storm season is already underway. The relentless cycle of disaster, rebuild, repeat has many coastal residents feeling numb and helpless. And climate scientists say we can expect more frequent, more powerful storms in the future.

As we first reported last fall, the Netherlands, one of the most flood prone places in the world, almost never floods.

Holland is about twice the size of New Jersey and is one of the world’s most densely populated countries. Much of it is below sea level, yet the Dutch don’t bother with flood insurance.

They don’t need it. With hurricane season here again, we wondered, do the Dutch have a solution?