Intervention hotline 1722 activated following bad weather warnings

Intervention hotline 1722 activated following bad weather warnings
Credit: Belga

Following bad weather warnings from Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMI), the Federal Public Service (FPS) Home Affairs has temporarily activated the 1722 hotline for non-urgent assistance.

The 1722 line is meant to ease pressure on the 112 emergency hotline so that people whose lives may be in danger are not forced to wait. "Only call 112 for situations that are potentially life-threatening," the government department emphasises.

The hotline is not an emergency number, but one used if intervention by the fire service is required. A request for help can also be submitted via the e-portal at www.1722.be.

"Preferably use the e-portal. This avoids you having to stay on the line for a long time before you get an operator on the line. A request through the e-portal is handled by the fire service in the same way as a call to 1722. So you will not be helped faster if you call 1722," the FPS noted.

The RMI said that the bad weather will continue throughout Sunday afternoon as well as in the evening and that regular and heavy (winter) showers, that could include snow and hail, will fall over the western part of the country, with the expectation that at least 25 mm of precipitation may fall in 24 hours.

Code yellow, with warnings of heavy rain and snowfall in the Ardennes that could lead to slippery roads, applies until Monday morning for showers, according to a statement on the RMI's website.

The Tweet reads: "Warning for slippery roads from 28/11 10:00 AM until 29/11 09:00 AM. Ice and snowfall: This afternoon and this evening, we are expecting some snow showers in the Ardennes with an extra layer of 1 to 3 cm."

Predictions for coming days

On Sunday night and Monday morning, with the exception of the west of the country, temperatures will fluctuate around or just below freezing point in many areas, which will bring a new chance of frost and ice patches. The RMI predicts gusts of up to 60 km per hour at sea in the coming hours.

Monday will remain cloudy and cold, while the coast will see more (wintery) showers. As the day progresses it will become drier from the west, however, clouds and a few (wintry) showers will appear in the centre and especially the east of the country. Meanwhile, more snow is expected in the Ardennes mountains.

Tuesday it will be rainy across most parts of the country, however, temperatures will be milder, ranging from 5 to 11°C.


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