The first damage is to be reported this Saturday after further heavy rainfall.
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Namur
Floods, collapsed walls, houses evacuated… We once again witnessed sad scenes this Saturday evening in the province of Namur. Within minutes, significant amounts of precipitation hit the region. And the NAGE emergency zone (Namur, Andenne, Gembloux, Éghezée) was quickly taken aback. “It’s madness,” a firefighter confided.
Heavy rains caused extensive damage to Dinant, route de Philippeville and in the district of the station, indicates the alderman Robert Closset.
“There is 50 cm of water and 5 cars obstructing the level crossing,” he continues. Other cars were also washed away. “There are 25 cars that have been swept away and the tarmac of the Route de Philippeville comes off and hits the railroad tracks. The Athus-Meuse line must be touched. “I’ve lived in Dinant for 57 years as a riverine of the Meuse, I’ve never seen that,” adds the former mayor of Dinant and current provincial deputy Richard Fournaux.
The Chaussée de Dinant at Wépion, already largely drowned last week, was again affected. “A brick wall collapsed because of the water,” reveals Pierre Bocca, the NAGE area fire chief.
The roadway was closed to traffic at height of the Namur casino. The police evacuated a dozen homes, asking the population to stay with their families. The City of Namur has made emergency housing available for people who cannot be relocated with relatives.
Fortunately, there are no victims. But the stability of the buildings is engaged. The mayor Maxime Prévot went there urgently.
The villages of Cognelée, Vedrin and Bomel, also were hit by heavy rains. “A quantity of water like this, I’ve never seen,” says Commander Bocca.
Firefighters intervene in dozens of places simultaneously. The interventions mainly concern flooded roads and a few caves under water.
The town of Anhée was also affected by the heavy rains on Saturday evening. Several villages are victims of flooding, indicates the 1st alderman Anne-Faeles-Vam Rompu.
“We are inundated with calls. The villages of Sosoye, Bioul, Maredret, Annevoie and even Denée are experiencing flooding problems. It was torrential rains that suddenly fell on the region and the Molignée Valley, ”she continues. “It’s a disaster,” explains Alderman Martin Chiaradia in turn. “The lower part of the village of Bioul is totally inundated. We end up with a meter of water in the village and in some houses. “
The municipal workers have been recalled but are hampered by these floods. “They have to prepare sandbags for the next few days, but because of the water, they don’t know how to get to the communal workshop. The rain has stopped falling, but we have to wait for the roads to clear, ”concludes the first alderman.
Walloon Brabant
The presence of significant mudslides was noted on Saturday evening in part of Walloon Brabant, we learned from the rescue zone which has around thirty interventions.
The heavy rains that fell on Wallonia on Saturday evening particularly affected the Brabant entities of Chaumont-Gistoux, Walhain and Wavre.
In some streets of Walhain, the level of mud has reached the meter fifty. The firefighters were tasked with diluting it in order to facilitate the work of the municipal road services which will intervene thereafter.
The orange thunderstorm warning remained in effect until 11 p.m. this Saturday evening in the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg in Wallonia and the provinces of Limburg, Antwerp and East Flanders in Flanders, says the IRM in a press release published on Saturday at 10 p.m. . Elsewhere on the territory, including in the province of Namur strongly affected by the bad weather of the evening, the yellow code applied. The weather will become drier again overnight, adds the Royal Meteorological Institute.
Tomorrow Sunday, new thunderstorms will develop over Belgium with accumulations of the order of 10 to 20 liters per square meter in a short time. A new yellow warning is issued and will be in effect from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
“It is important to note that the risk of thunderstorms will continue at the beginning of next week (probably until Wednesday included). Precipitation will once again be active mainly during the day. Over the entire period, accumulations will therefore have to be monitored, ”adds the IRM.
The active number 1722
The FPS Interior activated the intervention number 1722 on Friday evening due to a risk of storm or heavy precipitation, after the Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM) issued a warning.
The aim of this number is to unclog 112 emergency centers and not keep people whose life is potentially in danger waiting. It is not an emergency number, but an intervention number in case of need of the fire brigade.
The activation of the number 1722 is preventive when a storm or heavy rains are announced.
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