It took a while when the storm broke out for the three owners of café Since in Eersel. The water found its way into the cafe from all sides. “It came down the roof, up the toilet and in from the street.”
It was the last hours before closing time. A few guests were having a beer on the terrace outside when it started to rain heavily. Half an hour later everything was covered. Mirte Eliëns runs the café together with her colleagues Guus Prinsen and Gerty Adriaans. The three had to act immediately.
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“In the street the water was soon knee high,” says Mirte. “Because our cafe is located on a busy road, every car that drove by had a wave of water in it, so we put two cars at the end of the street to regulate traffic a bit.”
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At the Italian restaurant next door Since then, the cellar had filled up. The fire brigade had to come to pump it out. “The fire brigade gave us ribbons to close off the street. As a result, everyone had to make a detour. The bus that normally has its fixed route past us could not pass either.”
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But in addition to the water from outside, the trio also had to fight against the water inside. “It really came from all sides. It ran straight into the kitchen and the toilet areas via the toilets and all the drains.”
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Fortunately, Mirte also received help from the loyal customers on the terrace. “We really couldn’t handle it with the three of us. The guests who were still there also rolled up their sleeves and carried buckets of water with them.”
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Mirte and her colleagues still use Friday evening to get the cafe back in order. They won’t know until tomorrow how it really is with the damage. “From Saturday we can of course receive guests indoors again,” says Mirte. “So this was the last day that was allowed to walk in the soup.”
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