Help! The Hurricane is on the street!

De Orkaan, the sublime, independent news platform that has been reporting on events in the Zaan region for ten years, consists of sweet-smelling, reliable people who like to contribute to a pleasant, positive working and living environment.

Now the following happens: from December 1 they will be on the street.

For the past two years, the editorial staff has rented an attractive harbor house from DuKra, a nice place with a view of the water. Despite the pleasant, almost anti-squat rental conditions, it was always known that this stay would be temporary. Now the time has come: The Hurricane must look for a new home, and quickly.

Since 2022, De Orkaan has been officially designated by the Dutch Media Authority as a “local public media institution” for Zaanstad and Wormerland. This provided structural financing, which secures the future of De Orkaan for the time being.

The news platform had no home until 2022, but that was not a problem then, says the ever-ravishing editor-in-chief Merel Kan:

“Our news was in laptops, phones and in the minds of reporters who never sat with their butts glued to an office chair.”

Yet the harbor house became more important. It became a great base for the reporters, where hard typing and editing took place, where the podcast could be recorded, the board could meet endlessly and the PBO could be received.

But everything comes to an end:

‘We are working hard on new homes on and around the site of the harbor building. We are very happy that we were able to use it for so long, but now we are looking for a new location from which we can continue to fulfill our important role.’

What is De Orkaan looking for?

De Orkaan is looking for a space of about 120m2 or more. This can serve as a home base for the editorial staff, with enough space for a modest podcast studio, a kitchen and an editing room. The location must of course be in the Zaan region. The foundation has sufficient resources to pay a reasonable rent.

With a deadline of December 1, the great team hopes to quickly find a new place where they can continue their journalistic work. For those who know a suitable space: De Orkaan is open to tips! A beautiful warm hoodie with ditto hat is ready for the golden tipster.

Email to Merel: [email protected].

By editorial team De Orkaan.