“Anyone who needs help can report to us,” GP Adrie Evertse said on Sunday in front of a room full of grief. Four general practitioners and the pastor came to the closed meeting about the ‘terrible truck drama’ that the residents of Nieuw-Beijerland and the surrounding area were confronted with on Saturday evening. In one fell swoop, six people were killed and seven injured. How do you deal with that as a small community?
“This calamity has an impact that should not be underestimated on dozens of people involved,” emphasizes spokesperson Alma de Haan of Victim Support. “People are in shock. For us, this is comparable to major incidents such as the hostage drama in the Amsterdam Apple Store in February, or the shooting at McDonald’s in Zwolle in April.’
Colleagues from Victim Support went to the scene of the accident immediately after the call from the police control room. They collected telephone numbers of as many people involved as possible, who were called on Sunday and Monday to ask how they are doing and whether they need assistance. This leads to many questions, says De Haan, ranging from ‘How do I deal with my children in this stressful situation’, to questions about medical and legal aspects or arranging a funeral.
Over the next month and a half, eyewitnesses and relatives will be monitored by Victim Support. According to De Haan, ‘experience shows that most people involved can more or less resume their normal lives after five to six weeks. We refer the – on average – 20 percent who do not do well after that, for example because they suffer from nightmares or a disturbed appetite, to medical help.’
Dealing with the media
Because many relatives have questions about dealing with the media, Lars Walder of the On behalf of the Family foundation – part of Victim Support – has been appointed for this purpose. ‘I deal with journalists who are not always neat’, says Walder, ‘such as reporters who suddenly find themselves in a relative’s yard.’ But he also mediates between involved family members and, for example, talk show hosts who ask if Walder can put them in touch with someone who would like to join a talk show.
The municipality of Hoeksche Waard is running at full speed. Although everything is closed on Sundays in this Christian community, more than forty municipal officials were now working in the town hall, says Anne Karsbergen, spokesperson and advisor to acting mayor Aptroot. ‘We arrange many practical matters, such as the press conference, the closed meeting and the opening of our customer contact center on Sundays. We keep a live blog on the website about all developments and we have set up the Aftercare Team.’
The team, which is officially called Team Nafase, focuses, among other things, on setting up condolence registers, both digital and physical, in consultation with the next of kin. ‘We focus on the social part of the impact on residents’, says municipal official Wera de Jong. ‘We establish contact between all parties and can, for example, deploy cemetery employees for special funeral wishes, and facilitate a memorial service, a silent procession or monument, if desired. We will have follow-up discussions about this on Tuesday with the three spokespersons appointed by the local residents.’
Family agents
The investigation into the driver and his truck is still ongoing. The police have now designated twelve family agents who form the contact between the victims’ families and the police. They inform the next of kin about the progress of the criminal investigation. Police spokesman Esha Gowricharn said “more family officers will be deployed if necessary in the near future.”
At the ice club where the truck drove off the dike, local residents are continuously laying flowers. It is very quiet on the picturesque cycling and walking paths, usually teeming with tourists and day trippers. As with various sports clubs in the area, the flags at the schools in Oud-Beijerland are at half mast.
Rector Jeanette Warmels of the Christian school community Willem van Oranje has sent messages with her condolences to all students, their parents and employees. ‘We have asked all teachers from both school locations to reflect on this immense event in class on Monday’, says the rector. ‘And we receive a lot of e-mails from concerned parents of concerned children asking whether we want to keep a special eye on them. Their mentors are informed about this. The quiet room of our school is open all week. Students can write notes there and reflect on this grief together.’
Full church
The church was completely full twice on Sunday, and both services have been viewed much more often than usual online. ‘I have just come from the scene of the accident,’ says Rev. Ad Pors of the village church in Nieuw-Beijerland. ‘I came over, introduced myself and in no time had conversations about life and death with the people who gather there.’
There is great dejection, but the drama is fraternizing, says the pastor, who notices that there is a great need for pastoral assistance, even among people who are not members of a church. ‘You see people who don’t know each other or barely know each other, talking to each other, hugging each other, everyone supports each other. We are all one in sorrow.’