The number 1722 has been activated because of the severe weather warning issued by the Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM), the FPS Interior said on Sunday.
This number can be used to request fire brigade assistance in the event of storm damage or water damage. If a life is in danger, call 112.
1722.be is the most direct way to request assistance from the fire brigade, but it is also possible to contact this number by telephone.
The electronic helpdesk and the 1722 number have been set up to avoid overloading the 112 emergency centres and to avoid keeping people whose lives are in danger waiting. Telephone lines are sometimes saturated when many people call at the same time.
The IRM has issued a yellow rain alert in force on Sunday and Monday for the whole of Flanders, Brussels and the province of Hainaut. An area of undulating and active precipitation is crossing the country from France and will be followed by "sometimes heavy and thundery showers during the afternoon and the next night." Further intense showers will follow on Monday. "Over a 24-hour period, rainfall totals could reach 20 to 30 litres per square metre in many regions, and very locally in the north of the country up to around 50 litres per square metre," warns the IRM.
