Three people were injured in Brussels as a tree fell on a café terrace, while a fourth person was hit by a falling branch as the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) expanded the orange alert for gusts of wind to the Capital Region.
The orange alert has now been extended to the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant. Previously, this alert was only in force for West Flanders, East Flanders and Hainaut. A yellow alert is active in the entire country for heavy rainfall.
The RMI expects gusts of wind up to 100 km/h (and locally even more) for the rest of the afternoon. The storm is expected to settle later in the evening.
At the Marché aux Herbes in the centre of Brussels, three people were injured when a tree fell onto a café terrace. On Avenue de Tervueren in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, one person was struck on the head by a broken branch.
"Dozens of call-outs are currently underway, and around 70 others are still awaiting attention," said Walter Derieuw, a spokesperson for the fire brigade in Brussels.
"The Brussels Fire Brigade is deploying reconnaissance teams to assess the urgency of each situation and determine whether a fire brigade response is actually necessary. Call-outs are being handled according to their level of urgency."
Storm damage in the Rue de Neufchâtel. Credit: Fire brigade Brussels
Several tram lines in Brussels have also been disrupted due to storm damage, according to public transport operator STIB-MIVB. This concerns routes 7, 9, 39, 44, 51, 82 and 93.
Train service, too, has been disrupted in several places, as at least five incidents involving fallen trees have caused disruption and service interruptions, according to rail network operator Infrabel.
No trains are running on several routes, including in south of Brussels, between Etterbeek and Halle. In West Flanders, no trains are running from Kortrijk to Lille-Flandres and Oudenaarde.
Train speeds have also been reduced between Bruges and the coast (Ostend, Blankenberge, Zeebrugge and Knokke) and between Lichtervelde and De Panne. Train services between Zottegem and Denderleeuw have also been suspended.
Credit: Belga
Meanwhile, in Ostend on the coast, a tunnel flooded due to heavy rainfall. Fire departments across Belgium report hundreds of active interventions, with the government sending out 2.8 million BE-Alerts warning of strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Additionally, shipping traffic in the seaports remains at a standstill, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges confirmed. No new arrivals or departures are scheduled. It is hoped that ships will be able to depart or arrive again on Saturday morning.
The nautical chain was proactively scaled back on Friday morning to ensure safety. The Maritime Services and Coast Agency announced that Vloot, the Flemish organisation responsible for bringing pilots to the ships, was monitoring the situation closely.
Various measures were also taken around Ghent, in the North Sea Port. Skippers must take additional precautions when mooring, and companies have made their sites storm-ready.
