Hurricane Maria pulled past Sint Maarten during the early hours of Wednesday morning, at first sight with out causing much damage. Sint Eustatius and Saba got more wind and rain this time around, compared to hurricane Irma two weeks ago, but there too the damages seem to be limited, AD reports. The hurricane is still increasing in strength and is now heading towards the American Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Nature
Sep 19 '17 07:34
Saba and Sint Eustatius are anxiously awaiting Hurricane Maria, which is set to pass close by the islands in the course of the morning or early in the afternoon. Hurricane Maria increased in strength and is now considered a category 5 hurricane, the strongest category, with wind speeds up to 260 kilometers per hour, BNR reports.
Sep 18 '17 14:00
Hurricane Maria is heading towards the Caribbean, but is currently expected to miss the Kingdom of the Netherlands islands, according to Nicolien Kroon of Buienradar. The strong winds and heavy rains the hurricane brings with it can still cause many problems on the islands, especially for Sint Maarten, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma a week and a half a go, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 18 '17 13:20
Rob Verkerk, Commander of the Dutch Armed Forces, and Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs called critical statements by Sint Maarten Prime Minister William Marlin about Dutch soldiers on the island "complete nonsense". In an interview with NRC, Marlin said that Dutch soldiers did nothing to stop looting on the island after Hurricane Irma.
Sep 18 '17 10:36
Despite improvements over the past years, the air in Gelderland is still anything but clean, according to a report from public health service GGD Gelderland-Midden. The researchers concluded that two babies per year die due to air pollution in the province and breathing the Gelderland air is, on average, equal to smoking six cigarettes per day, Omroep Gelderland reports.
Sep 15 '17 15:10
Increasingly severe storms due to climate change means increasing storm damage, and the damage counter is rising faster than expected, according to an analysis by the Dutch association of insurers. In the worst case scenario, storm damage will increase by over 260 million euros annually, compared to the current situation, the association calculates, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 15 '17 14:30
The new greenhouse gas policy implemented in 2005 to stimulate the Netherlands industry to reduce their emissions, had hardly any effect. Over the past 12 years, greenhouse gas emissions by Dutch manufacturers only decreased by 4 percent, the Volkskrant reports based on figures from the Dutch emissions authority NEa.
Sep 15 '17 09:23
At 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations officially launched the national fundraising action for Sint Maarten, Saba and Eustatius, who were all hit by devastating Hurricane Irma last week. The action "The Netherlands helps Sint Maarten" is a collaboration between the Red Cross and Dutch broadcasters RTL, NPO and SBS.
Sep 15 '17 07:41
Dozens of homes in the Zuid-Holland town of 's-Gravenzande were damaged by a tornado on Thursday. Roof tiles were blown off, windows shattered and trees were blown over. The tornado lasted around 25 seconds, according to the Telegraaf.
Sep 14 '17 11:10
The damage caused by the first autumn storm to hit the Netherlands this season, amounts to 5 million euros at most, according to the first rough estimation by the Dutch association of insurers VNV. The damage is "not exceptionally large", a VNV spokesperson said to the Leeuwarder Courant.
Sep 14 '17 10:30
The Red Cross' fundraiser to help the people of Sint Maarten after the devastating Hurricane Irma, Giro 5125, raised over 4.3 million euros so far. And the donations keep coming in, the Red Cross announced on Thursday, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 13 '17 14:40
A tree blown over by an autumn storm raging through the Netherlands on Wednesday, landed on a girl at the Stedelijk Lyceum in Enschede-Zuid on Wednesday morning. The girl was taken to hospital. Her condition is unknown, Tubantia reports.
The area around the fallen tree was closed off to the public. There are concerns that more trees may fall over due to the strong winds, according to the newspaper.
Sep 13 '17 10:40
Sint Maarten can count on a financial contribution from the Netherlands to help it recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday evening, according to Metro Nieuws. He did not mention any amounts.
Sep 13 '17 10:03
The first autumn storm to hit the Netherlands this season, is starting to take its toll across the country. Schiphol had to close down a number of runways due to the strong winds. The A13 highway between Delft and Rotterdam was closed for a time after a tree fell on a car. And NS is running fewer trains on a number of routes.
Sep 13 '17 07:39
Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code orange weather warning for the Netherlands' coastal provinces on Wednesday morning due to very strong winds brought by the season's first autumn storm.
The northern coastal area can see gusts of over 120 kilometers per hour, the KNMI warns. The Provinces of Zuid-Holland, Noord-Holland, Friesland, Groningen and in the Wadden- and IJsselmeer areas can expect winds around 100 kilometers per hour.
Sep 12 '17 16:10
Sint Maarten hopes that the island can recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma within a year or two, deputy minister of the island Henrietta Doran-York said after a national council meeting in The Hague on Tuesday. She also praised the cooperation between the Netherlands and Sint Maarten in the run-up and aftermath of the hurricane, and refuted criticism about a lack of preparation for the hurricane, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 12 '17 11:10
Dutch King Willem-Alexander is overwhelmed by the devastation Hurricane Irma left on Sint Maarten, one of the Caribbean islands that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "I've never seen anything like this, everywhere you look you see destruction and upheaval", the King said from the island on Tuesday, NU.nl reports.
Sep 12 '17 08:29
The Netherlands' coastal provinces will face the season's first official autumn storm on Wednesday, according to meteorological institute KNMI. The KNMI warns of wind gusts on the coast and the IJsselmeer of up to 90 kilometers per hour. Weerplaza forecasts winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour on the Wadden.
Sep 12 '17 08:01
King Willem-Alexander and Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations arrived on Sint Maarten on Monday afternoon, local time. They landed on a battered Princess Juliana International Airport, where they were immediately faced with the devastation Hurricane Irma left in its wake.
Sep 11 '17 15:50
Activist group Fossil Free Culture protested in front of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday. The group believes that the museum should not be sponsored by Shell, NU.nl reports.
The black clad protestors used torn and broken umbrellas to represent landscapes spoiled by Shell's fossil fuel mining, oil spills and carbon emissions, the group said on Twitter.
The Van Gogh museum will not press charges against the protesters, a spokesperson said to NU.nl, calling their demonstration a "peaceful action" that the museum regards as "freedom of expression".
Sep 11 '17 15:10
The first plane carrying evacuees from Sint Maarten is on its way back to the Netherlands. The air force KDC-10 plane is expected to land at Eindhoven air base at around 3:30 p.m., Omroep Brabant reports. The evacuees were previously only taken as far as Curacao.
Sep 11 '17 08:33
King Willem-Alexander will visit Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba on Monday to see the aftermath of Hurricane Irma with his own eyes, Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations said on Curacao on Sunday afternoon, ANP reports.
Sep 11 '17 07:30
The coastal provinces of the Netherlands can expect strong winds and heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday, according to meteorological institute KNMI. The institute issued a code yellow warning that is in place until 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to the KNMI, some areas may see over 50 millimeters of rain in 24 hours. This could result in flooding. The coastal areas in the west and northwest of the country can also expect winds of around 75 kilometers per hour this afternoon.
Afternoon temperatures will climb to around 17 degrees Celsius.
Sep 8 '17 14:50
Four people were injured when a hot air balloon carrying eight people made a crash landing near Zeijerveld around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. No one sustained serious injuries, according to Dagblad van het Noorden.
The hot air balloon got into trouble due to the bad weather, according to the broadcaster. The 53-year-old operator tried to do an emergency landing several times, but was blown into the air by the strong wind. At one point the balloon crashed into a tree.
The balloon was seized by the police and the aviation police are investigating the accident.
