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Residents evacuated as water levels rise in the north

Dozens of people are being evacuated in a village in the northern province of Groningen as rising water levels threaten to flood the area.

Local authorities have issued an emergency order for the polder at Tolberter Petten, about 20 kilometres west of the city of Groningen, closing the area to outsiders.

Roughly 100 people who live on the polder have been offered help with evacuation, although for the tme being the measure is voluntary.

The polder, which spans about 200 hectares and includes 40 premises, 10 of which are farms, is threatened by a potential breach of the dike, which would leave it under a metre of water.

The A7 motorway, which runs between Tolberter Petten and the village of Tolbert, remains open but is under observation.

Communities across the northern provinces have been struggling to hold back the rising water following days of heavy rain. Some drainage boards have allowed flood plains to become inundated in an attempt to stem the tide.

Elsewhere in the country, strong winds continue to cause disruption. All road bridges in South Holland have been closed until the end of the day because of the threat of bad weather.

In Amsterdam, an area around the Doubletree Hilton hotel (formerly the Mint) at Oosterdokseiland, near Centraal Station, has been closed off after storm force winds made buildings unstable.

Source: De Pers: Noodverordening in evacuatiegebied

Photo by Alix Guillard

Read previous story: Flood precautions stepped up as water levels rise to highest point in 14 years