Not only in Germany does flood cause a state of emergency. The situation is also critical in the Netherlands and Belgium. Thousands are said to be leaving their homes in Maastricht.
Brussels – The death toll related to severe weather in eastern Belgium rose to nine by late Thursday evening. In addition, four people are missing, as the Belgian news agency Belga reported.
Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden had made use of the EU’s civil protection mechanism, and France, Italy and Austria had offered help. The central train station of the city of Liège with almost 200,000 inhabitants was closed in the afternoon.
According to Belga, the city’s electricity, gas and water supplies were also affected. Anyone living on the Meuse was asked to get to safety. In other provinces, too, people had to be brought to safety. As in Germany, heavy rains and floods have kept emergency and security forces in the east of the country on their toes since the night. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo wrote on Twitter: “We assure all those affected and the local authorities our full support.”
Concern about expected floods in Maastricht
The southern Dutch city of Maastricht has called on around 10,000 citizens to leave their homes and get to safety from the floods.
Several quarters of the city in the Limburg province would be evacuated, the city announced on Thursday evening. It is expected that at night the Meuse will overflow so strongly that residential areas will be flooded.
The city of Roermond also evacuated districts and several hundred people had to leave their homes. The water levels of the rivers in the Netherlands swell quickly due to the water masses. The army sent several hundred soldiers to help.
The Dutch royal couple traveled to the region badly affected by the flooding on Thursday evening. They had spoken to citizens and mayors. dpa
