Parts of Wallonia were hit by torrential rain yesterday evening, causing severe damage to homes and leaving some residents without electricity.
Highly localised downfalls hit the municipalities of Florennes and Sambreville in the province of Namur.
The municipality of Sambreville described the situation as “exceptional”, and said that in some places, more than 80 litres of rain fell per square metre in just a few hours.
Photographs taken in the town of Auvelais showed cars driving through flooded streets and roads destroyed the rapid downpours. Many people reported that their basements were flooded, causing thousands of euros worth of damage.
Firefighters in the Val de Sambre had a very busy night. They received over 170 calls for help from members of the public. As of Thursday morning, firefighters were dealing with around 50 call-outs.
Residents told RTL Info that they were taken aback by the severity of the flooding. One woman said the water in her cellar was “up to my thigh” and complained of clogged manholes in her garden. A man driving in his car said that “some streets are underwater”.
