Christmas Flood of 1717
In the days before Christmas 1717, a southwesterly storm pushed the water from the Dutch, German and Danish coasts to the north. On Christmas night the wind turned northwest and swelled to hurricane strength. Combined with spring tide, this resulted in an enormous mass of water that attacked the coast of the Northern Netherlands and Germany. The dikes broke and large parts of the coastal area were flooded. The water even reached the city of Groningen. Thousands of people drowned; 2,276 people died in the province of Groningen alone. The territories of the current municipalities of De Marne, Eemsmond, Winsum and Bedum were hit hardest. Villages were destroyed, a large part of the livestock drowned, dikes were completely washed away and the strong current created enormous swirls in the landscape.
The effects of the Christmas Flood were noticeable for a long time. The farmlands were unusable for years and the mosquitoes living in the remaining brackish water pools caused a malaria epidemic. Even now, the traces of the enormous floods can still be found in the Groningen landscape. At Warffum and Den Andel, the remains of the old sea dike, which was almost completely destroyed, are still visible. The church of Westernieland has a front door that opens onto the empty meadow to the west of the village. At the time, there was a part of the village that was swept away by the waves and rebuilt on the east side of the church. Many spiritual leaders saw the flood disaster as a punishment from God for the immoral behavior and the sins of the inhabitants of the affected areas, but there was also a more administrative discussion about coastal defense policy and dike management. For a long time, the administrators of the city of Groningen and the Ommelanden disagreed about the responsibility for and the financing of the dyke repair. After mediation by Friesland, where the dikes were in better order and less damage had been suffered, an agreement could eventually be reached and Thomas van Seeratt, as provincial commission responsible for the Groningen dikes, was commissioned to repair the dikes. Van Seeratt, who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences. For a long time, the administrators of the city of Groningen and the Ommelanden were in disagreement about the responsibility for and financing of the dyke repair. After mediation by Friesland, where the dikes were in better order and less damage had been suffered, an agreement could eventually be reached and Thomas van Seeratt, provincially responsible for the Groningen dikes, was commissioned to repair the dikes. Van Seeratt, who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences. For a long time, the administrators of the city of Groningen and the Ommelanden were in disagreement about the responsibility for and financing of the dyke repair. After mediation by Friesland, where the dikes were in better order and less damage had been suffered, an agreement could eventually be reached and Thomas van Seeratt, provincially responsible for the Groningen dikes, was commissioned to repair the dikes. Van Seeratt, who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences. After mediation by Friesland, where the dikes were in better order and less damage had been suffered, an agreement could eventually be reached and Thomas van Seeratt, as provincial commission responsible for the Groningen dikes, was commissioned to repair the dikes. Van Seeratt, who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences. After mediation by Friesland, where the dikes were in better order and less damage had been suffered, an agreement could eventually be reached and Thomas van Seeratt, as provincial commission responsible for the Groningen dikes, was commissioned to repair the dikes. Van Seeratt, who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences. who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences. who was born in Sweden and had sailed the oceans for more than twenty years, had already warned in 1716 about the poor condition of the Groningen dikes. His warnings were ignored, with dire consequences.
After the Christmas flood, Van Seeratt was put in charge of the rescue operations and the dyke repair program. He had breakwaters built to reduce the force of the waves on the coast and was a proponent of stimulating salt marsh accretion. The dikes got a softer slope and were more resistant to the force of the water. In 1719 it turned out that the dikes repaired and constructed by Van Seeratt could withstand a violent north-westerly storm. The storm in 1720, which was comparable in strength to the one in 1717, also caused no damage. Thomas van Seeratt, for instance, laid the foundation for the current flood protection program.