Connected by the North Sea
Remembering 1953, learning from the past, preparing for the future!
In both the Netherlands and the UK, the Floods of 1953 left a profound and lasting mark on communities and families. Lives were lost, homes and livelihoods were destroyed, and many survivors carry the memories and consequences of that night with them to this day. The disaster also changed how both countries understood and responded to the threat of the sea. In the Netherlands, the scale of the loss helped create the political and public will for the Delta Works. In the UK, it led to a fundamental rethinking of coastal defense and flood protection.
In 2028, it will be 75 years since the 1953 Floods, providing a powerful shared point of departure to remember, learn and plan ahead.
It is an opportunity not only to honor those who lost their lives and those whose lives were changed forever, but also to ask what we can learn from their experiences as we face the challenges of the future.
Those challenges are becoming increasingly tangible along the East Coast of England. From coastal erosion at Happisburgh, Covehithe and Thorpeness, to the continuing risk of flooding in Lowestoft , communities are already living with the consequences of a forever and rapidly changing coastline.
In Lowestoft, local campaigners have been calling for greater flood protection for many years. Plans for a new flood barrier are ready, but the funding to make them a reality is not yet in place. Like Johan van Veen's plans before 1953, the solution is being considered before disaster strikes, but the challenge remains: turning knowledge of the risk into the political will, public support and investment needed to act in time.
The question is: do we need to wait for another disaster before we are prepared to act?
The project seeks to draw on the knowledge and lessons of the past and bring them into conversations about how we address the challenges of the future. It will work with young people, residents, researchers and local organizations in flood-affected communities , creating opportunities to share experiences, learn from one another and explore what resilient coastal communities could look like towards 2100.
Through The North Sea Connects , Dutch and UK flood-affected communities will be brought together to share experiences, knowledge, skills and ideas across the North Sea. The program will create opportunities for international learning, community engagement and collaboration between researchers, young people, local organizations and residents.
The ambition is to strengthen awareness, participation and resilience, while giving communities, and particularly younger generations, a meaningful voice in shaping the future of the places they call home.So that 2028 will not only be a year to remember and learn from what happened in 1953, but also a year to imagine what could and should happen next.
The connection
The UK project lead, Anne-Beth Derks-van Damme , was born and raised in Kortgene, Noord-Beveland, Zeeland, and has lived for the past 25 years near Southwold on the Suffolk coast. Two places separated by the North Sea, yet connected by a shared history of the 1953 Floods.
As passionate educator, connector and creative facilitator, Anne-Beth works with young people and communities to imagine and create the future they want to live in. Her work brings together people, ideas and organizations, turning knowledge into action and creating the connections needed for positive social change.
Spring 2026, Anne-Beth approached Stichting De Blauwe Lijn with a simple but powerful question: could 2028, the 75th anniversary of the 1953 North Sea Floods, become the year for a shared Anglo-Dutch commemoration? Her starting point was a simple idea: “The North Sea once carried a devastating flood between us. Now it can connect us, bringing together our knowledge, skills and experience to build the resilience we need to shape and prepare for what comes next.”
We said YES. and since then, we have begun building connections with organizations and communities in the UK and exploring how our existing learning resources can be adapted to create a genuinely shared Anglo-Dutch programme.
This is only the beginning.
Watch this space for the ongoing development of The North Sea Connects
The Blauwe Lijn Foundation and Johan van Veen
The mission of Stichting De Blauwe Lijn is rooted in the story of Dr. ir. Johan van Veen , the Dutch engineer and visionary who spent decades thinking ahead about how to protect the Netherlands from the sea.
Already in the 1930s and 1940s, Van Veen had developed plans for what would eventually become the foundation of the Delta Plan . Yet he struggled to convince politicians and decision-makers to act. His plans were perhaps too far-reaching, the costs too high, or the danger simply not yet visible enough. In the end, it took the disaster of 1953 to create the political and public support needed to put these plans into action.
His story carries an important message for today: we should not have to wait for a disaster before we start preparing for the future.
This is also the underlying message of Rutger Bregman's story, This is what climate change means if your country is below sea level . Looking at the Netherlands through the eyes of someone living in a country largely below sea level, Bregman highlights a fundamental question: what happens when the threats we face are known, but the urgency to act is still not strong enough? That question lies at the heart of the work of Stichting De Blauwe Lijn.
It is just as important today as it was in Van Veen's time to remain alert, to anticipate change and to make plans before they become urgent. Climate change, rising sea levels, coastal erosion and increasing flood risks mean that communities around the North Sea are once again having to think decades ahead.
Stichting De Blauwe Lijn therefore wants to connect the memory of 1953 with the future of the generations who will live with the consequences of the decisions we make today . The project seeks to bring together the last survivors and witnesses of the 1953 Floods with young people, residents, researchers and local organizations. By sharing memories and knowledge, and by creating space for young people to imagine and contribute to future plans, we can begin to ask not only “What happened in 1953?” , but also: “What can we learn from it, and what do we need to do now?” The aim is to encourage communities to look towards 2100 , rather than simply towards the next few years. To anticipate rather than react. To create the awareness, connections and public engagement needed to develop future plans before another disaster forces us to act .
That is the legacy of Johan van Veen that Stichting De Blauwe Lijn wants to carry forward: having the courage to imagine what is possible, the foresight to plan for it, and the determination to act before it is too late.
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We are already working with various partners on this project in the Netherlands, and are looking for UK partners too. The already confirmed UK partners will be added soon.
Goals to be adapted for the UK - work in progress
A primary goal is to collaborate with parties to strengthen the education package aimed at raising awareness among primary and secondary school youth regarding water, and to form a platform focused on engaging young people with the 1953 disaster and the future challenges.
The second goal of this project is to involve at least 30 of the 65 villages affected in 1953. The aim is to bring young and elderly residents together in village halls and/or churches and involve them in the history, current, and future water problems in the village/town. A selection of 30 villages has been made, which will be approached in 2026-2027.
A fourth goal is to portray the residents of the villages participating in this project, as well as the villages themselves, in a unique way through a future book and podcast. Here is a list of the participating flood villages to date.
Finally, the last goal is to create a connection through music. A music project is in development to perform Douwe Eisenga's 'The Flood Requiem' in its entirety at various locations in Zeeland, South Holland, Brabant, and possibly the Northern Netherlands, or to perform parts of it at the villages participating in this project.
Period
The goal is to start this project on December 21, 2026, and let it run through 2028. Stichting Blauwe Lijn will start the project provided there is sufficient funding at that time to realize the intended products. Efforts are being made from now until September 2026 to this end, as well as to involve sufficient experts and guides to provide the guest lectures, workshops, and tours.
Partners
Stichting Blauwe Lijn collaborates on this project with Marien de Goffau (initiator of the 75th anniversary of the Flood Disaster commemoration), Lenny Bulthuis, Drewes Wildeman, Yannick Commerceuc (director of Stilte voor de Storm), and John Gundlach (aerial photographer).
In addition, Stichting Blauwe Lijn is exploring collaboration for this project with the water boards (Scheldestromen, Hoogheemraadschap van Schieland en de Krimpenerwaard, Hollandsche Delta, Delfland, Brabantse Delta, Noorderkwartier and Noorderzijlvest), the Zeeland Archives, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, TU Delft, Landgoed DeCamping 't Zandt, Netherlands Water Museum, Goeree-Overflakkee Regional Archives, the Provinces of Zeeland, South Holland and North Holland, the Watersnoodmuseum, municipalities in Zeeland, Brabant, South Holland, Texel and Groningen (Zoutkamp, ​​Uithuizermeeden, Eemshaven), Rijkswaterstaat, water boards, the Zeeland Library, companies, schools, and historical and/or disaster-related associations and foundations in the Provinces of Zeeland, Brabant, South Holland, North Holland, and Groningen.
Alignment with the Blue Line mission
This project aligns with the mission of Stichting Blauwe Lijn because our goal is to pass on knowledge from the past to the new generation of Dutch people. We do this through the collected knowledge of former water masters, with the help of the Trésor and experts involved with Stichting Blauwe Lijn. Additionally, Stichting Blauwe Lijn can contribute its products to the project.
Approach and timeline (see also timeline page)
There are 3 phases leading up to the commemoration of 75 years since the 1953 flood:
- Phase 1: Development phase
- 1a: Basic development phase (2023-2025)
- 1b: Specific development phase (2026-2027)
- phase 2: Flood villages - pilot phase (2026-2027)
- Phase 3: Implementation phase (2027-2028)
Phase 1. Development phase:
2023-2025: In recent years, Stichting Blauwe Lijn has dedicated itself to creating products (including tresor , new water masters educational package , tours , water future game , and inspiration books ) that can help stimulate future thinking and plan development. Within this project, these products can achieve a wider reach and involve young and old in every village that experienced the disaster.
2026-2027: During this period, the intended products will be further developed to approach the 30+ flood-affected villages and the parties involved, in order to engage the residents of the affected villages together. These are the intended products:
- Escape game 'Dr. Cassandra'
- Tours around the flood villagesand waterworks for the villagers of the flood villages .
- Village gatherings for the residents of the flood-stricken villages(Stichting Blauwe Lijn and involved parties) to watch Johan van Veen's film, share stories from the elderly and young people, and learn about the future and gather ideas together.
- Music performance 'Flood Requiem' for the music groups in the flood-stricken villages, featuring a shortened and adapted version of Douwe Eisinga's The Flood Requiem.
- Aerial photographs of the flood villages by Johan Gundlach to capture the villages of 1953 and 2027. This provides insight into how the villages were affected and how they recovered. These photos convey a positive image of the resilience of the people and the Delta. These special photos spark more conversations about the village.
Phase 2. Pilot phase (5 flood villages) Jan-February 2027
With the program and products, five flood-stricken villages are involved in the commemoration of February 1, 2027, and this phase is a pilot phase to improve the products. The outcomes of this phase will be used for the implementation phase. Go to pilot villages to see which villages are involved in this phase.
Phase 3. Implementation phase (25 flood villages) February-February 2027-2028
The 25 remaining flood villages will be involved, and the results will be compiled into a podcast series and a book.
Realization of final products
In January 2028, the following products from the flood villages will be delivered with this project :
- Podcast series 'Flood Villages'
- Aerial photos of the 30 flood villages from 1953 and 2027 for a website and possibly a book.
- Collection of ideas, plans, and visions from citizens and pupils of schools in the flood-stricken villages and experts in the Dutch translation (by Marian van Veen) for Van Veen's bookshelf and a future book 'Water Future of the Delta' following Johan van Veen's book: 'Dredge Drain Reclaim. The Art of a Nation'.
- Musical performances at various locations based on 'The Flood Requiem' by Douwe Eisenga in the villages participating in this project.
Johan van Veen trailer documentaire
Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences was the first institution to actively collaborate on the mission of the Blauwe Lijn Foundation and to make the connection with today's youth within the Civil Engineering program. Civil engineering engineers, in particular, are crucial for the constructability of our delta. Through a tour, a guest lecture, and a hackathon, the 'New Johan van Venen' were able to work on a Delta with the help of experts, including the potential sea level rise of 3 meters in the coming centuries.
Other times
For the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the North Sea Flood of 1953, the Dutch television programme “Andere Tijden” interviewed Marian van Veen’s daughter and her grandson, Paul Fortuin.
This episode focuses on Johan van Veen and their personal memories and impressions of this remarkable engineer, father and grandfather.
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Secretariaat
Stichting Blauwe Lijn
p.a. Nieuweweg 1
3251 AS Stellendam
info@stichtingblauwelijn.nl
www.stichtingblauwelijn.nl