Short address by the Prince of Orange

Speech | 11-01-2006

on the occasion of a visit by a US delegation to the Maeslant storm surge barrier.Members of the US Delegation.

madam vice minister, ladies and gentlemen,

Senator Landrieu, senator Vitter, thank you for your kind words about the Netherlands. Our countries are old friends and it makes sense for us to help each other in times of need. That happened in 1953, when the Netherlands was hit by major flooding and the United States rushed to our aid, amongst others with mobile pumps. And it happened in 2005, when Louisiana was devastated by hurricane Katrina, when we sent the first replacements of those pumps back across the Atlantic. I visited the United States in November and had the opportunity to speak to many people involved trying to alleviate the human suffering and economic damage that Katrina and later on Rita caused. These conversations, combined with the experiences of our teams on the ground in Louisiana and Mississippi, made great impressions on me as they should do on anyone living in flood prone areas below sea level.

In 1953 we said: 'This must never happen again.' The Delta Project was the direct result of that, and the Maeslant storm surge barrier is the last of the major works. In America you are facing a similar challenge today: how to protect your country in the long term from flooding. You've come to the Netherlands to find a possible answer to that question. It is a complex issue and one country's solutions may not be suitable for export unchanged. But sharing knowledge and expertise is an important condition for success. Just as you can learn from the Dutch approach, we can learn from your experiences. With that in mind, I am pleased that this visit is taking place and that the Netherlands and the United States are strengthening their cooperation on water-related issues.

I would like to stress that flood protection requires our constant attention.

• Because there is always room for improvement.
• Because insights and circumstances change.
• And - last but not least - because the global climate is changing.

The Netherlands has learned these lessons the hard way. The disaster of 1953 resulted in the Delta Project and the river floods in 1993 and 1995 triggered a whole new discussion about safety policy. Vice-minister Schultz van Haegen has set out the focal points of her policy for you. The keywords are: be prepared and be aware. Both are very important. Even in the Netherlands, too few people realise that seventy per cent of our GDP is generated below sea level. That is also where most people live. If something were to go wrong, the damage would be massive, materialistic but above all the toll in human lives. And that is the reason behind my call for constant vigilance. As chair of the Water Advisory Committee, which has been entrusted with the work of the recently dissolved Technical Advisory Board on Flood protection, I will also be making my contribution. Later this year, the state secretary will receive a recommendation from the Committee about a re-evaluation of Dutch flood protection measures.

I would like to make one final remark. It is good to keep your eye on the big picture. Flooding is not something that affects only the United States and the Netherlands. The whole world is in the same boat, especially in this century of climate change. We have to face that reality together. Sharing knowledge about water management and flooding is a global issue. Access to that knowledge is crucial to many third-world countries. This year's World Water Forum in Mexico will provide abundant opportunities for progress in this area. US-Dutch cooperation could serve as an inspirational example there.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We will never be able to eliminate flooding completely. But being well-prepared can minimise the impact. In other words: you cannot control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. And that is what I hope for your delegation; that you will find plenty of inspiration here in the Netherlands to adjust your sails, on your voyage to a safer future.
Thank you