In 't Zandt, they sleep in sweatpants and with an emergency hammer for when their house collapses. The promised reinforcement? ‘I don’t believe a word of it’

In the Dutch village of 't Zandt, residents are living with constant fear, sleeping in jogging pants and keeping emergency hammers nearby in case their homes collapse. They express deep skepticism about the promised reinforcements for their earthquake-damaged houses. Three years ago, residents shared their plight with NRC, detailing how their homes suffered significant damage from earthquakes caused by gas extraction. However, the National Coordinator Groningen (NCG) inconsistently declared houses unsafe, leading to a bureaucratic maze. Even identical houses across the street were treated differently, with even-numbered homes slated for major reinforcement while odd-numbered ones were deemed safe. Johan and Lydia Kruger, living at number 5, are still waiting for substantial reinforcement, with Johan describing the planned work as minimal. They have requested new research due to distrust in the assessment of their back facade. Meanwhile, houses like number 14, owned by Jolanda and Remco Jager-Smit, which were known for years to require reinforcement, have seen no action. A previous plan worth over €264,000 was found to be technically flawed, with proposed wall reinforcements for non-existent walls. After a reassessment, a new plan was approved, but the couple is still awaiting cost calculations. "We have been working on this for eleven years, and not a single nail has been hammered into the wall," Jolanda stated. The delay in maintenance is mounting, and the reinforcement work, originally scheduled to begin in February 2027, is now uncertain. The Advisory Committee on Safety Groningen (ACVG) has identified errors in the safety assessment reports, further complicating the already stalled reinforcement operation, which involves 28,000 homes.

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They sleep in sweatpants and with an emergency hammer in case their house collapses after all.