Over the course of this week, residents of the Frisian city of Harlingen may feel vibrations from bombs being dropped on the Vliehors military training grounds on Vlieland.
Translation by Traci White
On the northern side of the Wadden island Vlieland, Dutch F16s and American F15s will be carrying out bombing practice this week. The Leeuwarder Courant reports that a southwestern wind could make it possible for residents living on the mainland to feel dull shaking from the bombs being dropped.
There are few obstacles to absorb the impact of the vibrations on the water until they reach the mainland. A spokesperson for the Leeuwarden air base says that the thudding of the bombs can feel like small earthquakes, and that communities along the coast are the only areas that may experience it.
Vliehors is a 24 square kilometer natural area on the northern side of Vlieland and is primarily used as a military exercise grounds by the Dutch Airforce and their NATO partners for testing munitions and explosive charges. The island has 1,132 residents and is the second least populated municipality in the Netherlands following Schiermonnikoog.
Photo source: United States Air Force
