Storm Surge - A Catastrophic Natural Phenomenon

Researcher Michael Nobel Hviid from the National Archives in Aabenraa examines some of the worst storm surge disasters over the past 400 years.

In recent years, storm surges in Danish waters have caused extensive material damage and sparked debate about whether coastal areas are prepared for climate change and rising sea levels. But along the Jutland west coast - and especially the Wadden Sea coast - violent storm surges have been a fundamental condition of life for centuries.

Hviid tells the story of residents and authorities' attempts to manage nature's forces: how the threat from the sea shaped life along the Wadden Sea coast, and how people adapted to the risk the sea posed.