For centuries the Netherlands has battled with the dangers of water as most of the country lies below sea level. In 1953, nearly two thousand people were killed by flooding, a disaster on such a scale that it changed everything. Since then Dutch governments have consistently made flood prevention infrastructure a spending priority. There is a conviction that this is so important that it overrides political differences. While other countries may be good at rescuing stranded people by helicopter, or sending in armed forces to clear flood wreckage, the Dutch approach is always prevention. Now that so many huge coastal cities are threatened, the world needs to learn lessons from this small country. Since 1953, not one person in the Netherlands has died as a direct result of flooding.