After the flood disaster in New Orleans the background reportage program Eòrpa from the Scottish BBC produces a reportage about the actual status of the Dutch Delta Works, the system of dams that is constructed after the disastrous floods in 1953, and that should protect the low lying area’s in the Dutch delta.
The Scottish BBC crew visits the Flood 1953 museum in the south west province Zeeland and portray the founder of the museum and about the disastrous floods in 1953 she experienced as a young girl. And a farmer is interviewed about the way his farm is raised and constructed on a mound, so the river dyke could be removed for the room for the river strategy. It is a new way of thinking and policy the Dutch developed to not fight the water, but to live with it and adopt to it.
An illustration of the effect of this policy is the development of amphibious houses, that floats when the water level in the river is rising. A huge concrete pole holds the house in place. A spokesperson from the construction company explains how it all works and an inhabitant expresses what it means to live in an amphibious house.
The Scottish BBC crew also interviews a flood management engineer and hydrologist from the University of Delft about how well the Dutch are protected against sea level rise and river discharges.
Last but not least the Maeslandt Barrier in Rotterdam is visited and filmed. A huge moving storm surge barrier that was constructed from 1991 to 1997 as part of the Delta Works and that responds to water level predictions calculated by a centralized computer system. It automatically closes when Rotterdam and especially the Port of Rotterdam is threatened by floods.
For this background reportage Featurez gave advice, did the research, set-up and planning of the filming, booked a rental van and did the driving, accompanied the filming and did the interviews and the translations.