The last meeting before the storm

On 13 January 1916 at eight o'clock in the evening, the church council of the Nieuwendammer church meets under the leadership of pastor Wierenga. Despite the ‘fearful storm and gusts of rain’, almost everyone is present. Even though the weather is ominously bad, the members of the church council cannot guess what calamity awaits them.

That night, the dykes break. The villages in what is now Amsterdam-Noord are almost completely flooded. People lose their homes and many cattle drown. A chaotic situation ensues with most residents being evacuated to Amsterdam. Because the city had already had to deal with thousands of fleeing Belgians during World War I, emergency help quickly arrives.

As if the situation were not bad enough, February brings two more storms. Many of the houses that remained standing in January are still destroyed by the storms. Nieuwendam is also hit hard in February. The water in the church rises to 0.99 metres, but fortunately the church building remains standing. Other churches in the area are less lucky. As quickly as possible, beams (wooden planking) are constructed, making the church and houses accessible again.

A tragedy with major consequences

Due to the flood disaster, the poor villages of Noord suffer economically in the years that follow. After much insistence from the villages, they are annexed by Amsterdam in 1921. However, it will take decades for the silted land, nature and population to recover from the events. Amsterdam-Noord is not the only place to face major floods. Dykes break in several places in the Netherlands. The 1916 floods were a decisive argument for the government to agree to build the Afsluitdijk and reclaim parts of the Zuiderzee. The Netherlands has not experienced a storm disaster from the Zuiderzee since then.