5.2 Delineation of the Development in Northern Germany
73
5.2 Delineation of the Development in Northern Germany
There are four coastal states in northern Germany responsible for coastal protection. This
summary should be seen as an example how the responsible institutions intended to tackle
the challenge of protecting people and economic values against storm surges.
As a reaction to the storm surge of 1953 in The Netherlands an Engineering Commission was established in northern Germany to investigate and to improve the existing
strategy of coastal protection – see, for example, Lorenzen (1955) and Tomczak (1955).
The recommendations led to higher crests on some coastal stretches which later withstood the water heights and the wave run-up of the 1962s storm surge. The storm of
1962 led to extreme water levels in the area of the rivers Elbe and Weser, especially
in Hamburg and Bremen. The “Lower Saxonian program for coastal protection 19551964”, installed after the Dutch disaster, was not completely implemented by February
1962. The water levels at the East Frisian coast were less than expected; about twothirds of which were not damaged, but the consequence of 61 dike breaches was an
inundated area of approximately 37,000 ha (Engineering Committee 1962a). The Engineering Commission acknowledged that older dike lines, which had been built with a
different mission (i.e., to protect the polder against inland waters from the peaty area),
had protected the hinterland against devastating inundations. Thus, the recommendation
was given to maintain and improve the older dike lines, and where possible to build
new second dike lines (= additional levees in the hinterland). Furthermore, it was recommended that the second dike line should be installed within a certain distance of
the main dike to enable better emergency management in the case of a storm surge
and a dike failure. The experiences in 1962 have shown that the response time in some
cases was too short to rescue the inhabitants of the polder areas (Engineering Committee,
1962a).
The experiences of the 1962 disaster led to the installation of the Advisory Committee for Coastal Protection for the North and the Baltic Sea (Lorenzen, 1966). The
comprehensive recommendations of this Committee were published in Engineering Committee (1962b). These recommendations cover the design of dikes, the design of the outer
and inner slope, the quality and conditions of the soil and the subsoil of dikes, and the
maintenance and contingency planning. The results of the research programs and the
recommendations of the committee led to the first ever State Law on Dikes in Lower
Saxony – see NDG (1963).
The coastal protection authority is obliged to prepare a special plan describing and
elaborating the strategy and concepts of coastal protection (Master Plan for Coastal Protection – German: Generalplan Küstenschutz). The first Master Plan, published in 1973,
included a comprehensive description of the consequences of the storm surge in 1962, objectives of coastal and island protection in Lower Saxony and the design of main dikes and
their heights (Fig. 5.7), and also the work program for the coming years – see Nds. MELF
(1973).
73
5.2 Delineation of the Development in Northern Germany
There are four coastal states in northern Germany responsible for coastal protection. This
summary should be seen as an example how the responsible institutions intended to tackle
the challenge of protecting people and economic values against storm surges.
As a reaction to the storm surge of 1953 in The Netherlands an Engineering Commission was established in northern Germany to investigate and to improve the existing
strategy of coastal protection – see, for example, Lorenzen (1955) and Tomczak (1955).
The recommendations led to higher crests on some coastal stretches which later withstood the water heights and the wave run-up of the 1962s storm surge. The storm of
1962 led to extreme water levels in the area of the rivers Elbe and Weser, especially
in Hamburg and Bremen. The “Lower Saxonian program for coastal protection 19551964”, installed after the Dutch disaster, was not completely implemented by February
1962. The water levels at the East Frisian coast were less than expected; about twothirds of which were not damaged, but the consequence of 61 dike breaches was an
inundated area of approximately 37,000 ha (Engineering Committee 1962a). The Engineering Commission acknowledged that older dike lines, which had been built with a
different mission (i.e., to protect the polder against inland waters from the peaty area),
had protected the hinterland against devastating inundations. Thus, the recommendation
was given to maintain and improve the older dike lines, and where possible to build
new second dike lines (= additional levees in the hinterland). Furthermore, it was recommended that the second dike line should be installed within a certain distance of
the main dike to enable better emergency management in the case of a storm surge
and a dike failure. The experiences in 1962 have shown that the response time in some
cases was too short to rescue the inhabitants of the polder areas (Engineering Committee,
1962a).
The experiences of the 1962 disaster led to the installation of the Advisory Committee for Coastal Protection for the North and the Baltic Sea (Lorenzen, 1966). The
comprehensive recommendations of this Committee were published in Engineering Committee (1962b). These recommendations cover the design of dikes, the design of the outer
and inner slope, the quality and conditions of the soil and the subsoil of dikes, and the
maintenance and contingency planning. The results of the research programs and the
recommendations of the committee led to the first ever State Law on Dikes in Lower
Saxony – see NDG (1963).
The coastal protection authority is obliged to prepare a special plan describing and
elaborating the strategy and concepts of coastal protection (Master Plan for Coastal Protection – German: Generalplan Küstenschutz). The first Master Plan, published in 1973,
included a comprehensive description of the consequences of the storm surge in 1962, objectives of coastal and island protection in Lower Saxony and the design of main dikes and
their heights (Fig. 5.7), and also the work program for the coming years – see Nds. MELF
(1973).