Stormy night in West Friesland, but no major flooding

It was happening at Visserseiland in Hoorn early in the evening. Completely against expectations, water is rising in the street. Local residents join forces and place extra sandbags in front of the doors. “We have never had the water on the sidewalk before, but that is the case now,” says resident Ingrid Maas.

See below how the residents of Visserseiland took action. Text continues below.

In the meantime, it is quiet in Enkhuizen, except for the strong wind. Water laps against the closed Sassluis, but this does not cause any problems.

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At the Broekerhaven in Bovenkarspel this afternoon additional measures have been taken. For example, the bicycle tunnel was closed with sandbags to prevent water from flowing into the harbor in extreme conditions.

Water flows ashore at Bovenkarspel

Around 10:30 PM the water level in the area peaks at 75 centimeters above NAP. For comparison, more than 30 centimeters above NAP is considered extremely high water. The water does flow ashore at Van der Meulen Beach, among others, as well as on the side of the harbor that is outside the dike. But nowhere near the bicycle tunnel.

View images of the water lapping onto the land here. Text continues below.

Tree on car in Zwaag

At 11 p.m., storm Henk finally hits West Friesland. It no longer causes flooding, but a tree is blowing on top of a car at the Wogmergouw in Zwaag. As far as we know, no one was injured.

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Around midnight, peace has returned to Visserseiland. There is still a lot of water, but still far enough from the houses in the street. Early tomorrow morning the municipality will place extra large sandbags.

Hoorn is preparing for the next high water peak

“Rijkswaterstaat may expect another high water peak on Friday or Saturday, which may be higher than in recent days. This is because the wind is turning to the northeast and it is not yet possible to drain from the Markermeer to the IJsselmeer. If the forecast comes true, current measures are not sufficient,” the statement read.

Text continues below the images of Fisherman’s Island around midnight.

Around 12:30 am, the water that has flowed ashore in Bovenkarspel also seems to have subsided somewhat. It is still blowing strongly with a wind force 8. But the water level in the IJsselmeer near Enkhuizen has dropped to 50 centimeters. Still high, but significantly less than a few hours before. The water is expected to drop even further.