Part 3/13:
The first storm barrier on this site was improvised during the catastrophic North Sea flood of 1953, which devastated much of the region. In response, the Dutch government launched the Delta Works — a monumental project of dams, sluices, and barriers. The Rotterdam storm barrier, part of this network, has protected the city for nearly 70 years.
The barrier's operation is not just automatic; it involves human oversight and mechanical ingenuity. Engineers have equipped it with redundancy systems, including manual controls powered by gravity, ensuring passage even during power outages. Climbing to observe the gate operations reveals a human element at its core: trained operators can manually lower the gates if technology fails, exemplifying resilience built into the infrastructure.