====== case study: the Storm of Jan 18 2007 in the Netherlands ======



== South-western Storm force 10 / 11 hit Holland, here's an overview of the impact of fast moving air on a country: ==

===== Road-traffic: =====

{{N247-near-Katwoude.jpg|N247-near-Katwoude.jpg}}

  * Many roads are closed due to fallen trees.
  * A2 Utrecht / Amsterdam closed in both directions due to a sound-screen that nearly blew away at Utrecht
  * Many roads closed due to trucks that have been blown over, A12 Utrecht, N247 Katwoude, N11, A27 Almere (twice), N36 Almelo, A16 Moerdijkbrug. Truckers are advised to park somewhere calm.
  * Pizza couriers won't drive.



===== Rail-traffic: =====
{{train.jpg|train.jpg}}

  * Rail Cargo transport is stopped
  * All over the country railways are damaged and blocked by stuff, the power-lines can only be repaired if the force of wind drops below 5.



===== Air-traffic: =====
  * Airports closed, a few hundred people got stuck at Schiphol.


===== Digital-traffic: =====

  * E-mails claiming to contain details of the storms contain a malicious virus. E-mails with the subject line "230 dead as storm batters Europe"



===== Water troubles: =====

{{Erasmus-bridge.jpg|Erasmus-bridge.jpg}}

  * In Leiden it rained a total of 41,4 millimeters.
  * Close to Den Helder 8 millimeters of rain fell in 10 minutes.
  * The road over the Oosterscheldekering closed (N57)
  * The Haringvliet bridge closed.
  * The Erasmus bridge closed.
  * The Moerdijk bridge (A16) closed
  * The dijk Enkhuizen-Lelystad closed.
  * Ferries don't run to Vlieland and Terschelling
  * The container-ship Claudel broke loose in Rotterdam seaport, and smashed into  a anchorage of an Oil Terminal, about 400 to 800 cubic meters of oil was spilled. The oil can't be cleared due to the nightfall. Citizens of the Hague have reported a stinky smell.
  * All Dutch pumping-stations are pumping full-speed, so that lowlands don't flood.
  * Permanent dijk-patrols in Groningen and Friesland provinces.
  * All waterways are closed in Groningen Province.
  * Dijk-water-passages are closed at Delftzijl.
  * At Heemskerk sea and wind washed away 4 meters of dunes over over a distance of 4 kilometers.
  * Water-pressure dropped in Eastern parts of the Country, due to damage by the roots of uprooted trees.
  * One person was blown into the canal in Amsterdam.



===== Tall structures: =====

{{Zwolle.jpg|Zwolle.jpg}}

  * Fronts of office buildings were blown away.
  * Glass fell-off nice shiny sky-scrapers.
  * At Kuiderbos in the Noordoostpolder 4000 pines were blown over.
  * Cranes fell-over in Leiden and other places.
  * Cranes didn't work in Rotterdam seaport.
  * At the Brabanthallen in Den Bosch people can't leave because it's too dangerous to approach their cars with parts of the conference-center flying around.
  * Train stations closed in Utrecht and Amsterdam, in Utrecht people can stay overnight in the conference center.



===== Public-services: =====
{{Adam.jpg|Adam.jpg}}

  * Trauma-helicopters didn't fly, but buses are used instead.
  * Mounted Police went by car.
  * The red-cross helped 6000 stuck travelers at the stations.
  * The National meteorological institute handled 3 million visitors in the afternoon and then shut down.
  * A website named http://www.crisis.nl was opened because all other sites were overloaded, it got 3,5 million visits in five hours.
  * The National crisis center advises all to stay indoors, they fear objects flying around and a national public-information-number has been opened with 25 lines and was called 7000 times.

===== General damage and casualties: =====

{{Mauritskade-Adam.jpg|Mauritskade-Adam.jpg}}

  * 7 people have died.
  * There were 172 traffic accidents, that is four times the usual amount.
  * An unknown number of animals died when barns collapsed.
  * At least 160 million Euros damage.