Dutch Villagers Evacuated over Flood Risk

Around 100 people were evacuated Thursday from a village in the northwest of the Netherlands as high waters threatened to overwhelm a dyke, local authorities said.

"About 60 households, including several farms, have been evacuated on a voluntary basis," local authority spokesman Michiel Zijlstera told AFP.

Around 100 animals were also taken to safety from farms in the village of Tolbert which sits on land reclaimed from the sea, after strong wind and rain pounded the region over several days.

Tolbert is located near Groningen, the capital of a province bearing the same name.

"If the dyke gives way, the waters could reach up to a meter (three feet) high," the spokesman said, adding that the evacuees had found shelter with friends or at hotels.

A state of emergency was declared in the village and tourists forbidden to go there.

Gale force winds reaching up to 110 kilometers (about 70 miles) an hour as well as heavy rains are expected along the Dutch coast. About a quarter of the country sits below sea level.

The provinces of Groningen, North Holland and Friesland were under special alert and maritime traffic was badly disrupted at Rotterdam, one of Europe's biggest ports where some 430 million tons of goods pass through annually.

"Eleven vessels wanted to leave the port and two wanted to enter but were unable to do so because of the heavy wind," said port spokesman Minco van Heezen.