Flooding in river mouths: human caused or natural events? Five centuries of flooding events in the SW Netherlands, 1500–2000

Abstract. This paper looks into the flooding events of the past 500 years in the SW Netherlands addressing the issue what kind of flooding events have occurred and which ones have mainly natural causes and which ones are predominantly human induced. The flooding events are classified into two major categories: (a) flooding events that were caused during storm surges and (b) flooding events which happened during war fare. From both categories a selection of flooding events has been made. Each flooding event is discussed in terms time, location, extent of the flooded area and specific conditions. Among these conditions specific weather circumstances and how long they lasted, the highest water levels reached and dike maintenance are discussed as far as flooding events caused during storm surges are concerned. About the flooding events during war fare, offensive and defensive strategies are relevant. The paper demonstrates that although the strategic flooding events obviously were man-made, the natural feature, being the use of fresh water or sea water, of these events also played a major role. Flooding events caused during storm surge may have an obvious natural cause, but the extent of the flooding and damage it caused were largely determined by man.