- Title: One month after floods, Belgian victims try to rebuild
- Date: 13th August 2021
- Summary: PEPINSTER, BELGIUM (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DESTRUCTION IN CITY CENTRE PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH DEVOTED STREET RUBBLES IN STREET DEVASTATED CLASSROOM DESTROYED BUILDINGS CARS UPSIDE DOWN TROOZ, BELGIUM (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) FLOOD VICTIM AND FORMER MECHANIC, JOSE CHACON, OPENING LOCKER CHACON ENTERING HIS HOUSE CHACON POINTING AT CEILING AND SAYING (French): "The water reached the ceiling." CHACON WALKING UP STAIRS, POINTING AT WALL AND SAYING (French): "Water reached this level." CHACON STEPPING OUT OF HIS HOME (SOUNDBITE) (French) FLOOD VICTIM AND FORMER MECHANIC, JOSE CHACON, 62, SAYING: "You have to know that all houses here are heated with oil tankers located in the cellars. You have to imagine the pollution that it produces. We get a lot of help with the cleaning, but now we have to start rebuilding, equipping the houses: electricity, wiring. Electricity meters have been reinstalled, fine, but we are nowhere (close to normal). We are nowhere near." CHACON STANDING OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE PEPINSTER, BELGIUM (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) SIGN, READING: "Pepinster" / DEBRIS DESTROYED HOUSE BY RIVER HOLE IN HOUSE SOFT TOYS HANGING FROM DESTROYED HOUSE DAMAGED HOUSE / FLOOD VICTIM AND LANGUAGE STUDENT, CHRISTINA HAAS, SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FLOOD VICTIM AND LANGUAGE STUDENT, CHRISTINA HAAS, 20, SAYING: "We're not really feeling good. We are a little on edge. The morale hit is hard to handle and we are afraid when it starts to rain. We tell ourselves that the water will rise again. We are afraid that the buildings will collapse on someone walking on the street, this kind of things. It's complicated. We cannot speak of a normal life at the moment. I don't know when we can, but it will take a lot of time." LIEGE, BELGIUM (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) VOLUNTEERS PREPARING MEALS FOR FLOOD VICTIMS IN SCHOOL VOLUNTEER PUTTING BEEF CARPACCIO IN FOOD BOX VOLUNTEERS AT WORK LUNCH BOXES IN TRANSPORT TRAY SOUP KITCHEN ORGANIZER AND ORGANIC RESTAURANT OWNER FROM LIEGE, CHARLOTTE DEPIERREUX SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) SOUP KITCHEN ORGANIZER AND ORGANIC RESTAURANT OWNER, CHARLOTTE DEPIERREUX, SAYING: "For many victims, the problem is that they have not yet collected household appliances because they have lost their cars and do not necessarily have the money to buy those appliances. So yes, food aid is helpful. I know people need it. Having said that, I think we should now empower people and allow them to re-equip themselves so they can cook. They also want it to but they also need to clean their houses, remove the humidity and little by little moving forward." VOLUNTEERS AT WORK IN SCHOOL REFECTORY VOLUNTEERS FILLING TRAY WITH LUNCH BOXES VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEER CARRYING TRANSPORT BOX AHEAD OF DELIVERY DEPIERREUX STACKING BOXES INSIDE CAR DEPIERREUX CLOSING CAR DOOR TROOZ, BELGIUM (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) VOLUNTEERS AND FLOOD VICTIMS GATHERED OUTSIDE CHURCH USED AS TEMPORARY AID DISTRIBUTION CENTRE VOLUNTEER BRINGING FOOD BOX INSIDE CHURCH VOLUNTEER HANDING OVER LUNCH BOXES TO VICTIMS VOLUNTEER TAKING TRANSPORT BOX FROM CAR VOLUNTEER HANDING OVER LUNCH BOXES TO FLOOD VICTIM FLOOD VICTIM TAKING BOXES FLOOD VICTIM WALKING AWAY WITH BOXES PEPINSTER, BELGIUM (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) DESTROYED CAR IN DAMAGED STREET CORDONED STREET (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF PEPINSTER'S SOCIAL SERVICES, ALEX BAIVERLIN, SAYING: "After two or three weeks during which we help the victims and came up with a registry set to clarify what had to be rebuilt, we have now reached a phase where we must help people resume their normal lives knowing that many still have to rebuild their homes. We need to find as much housing as possible for the victims whose houses will have to be pulled down because they have been declared unstable by experts." HEAD OF PEPINSTER'S SOCIAL SERVICES, ALEX BAIVERLIN SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF PEPINSTER'S SOCIAL SERVICES, ALEX BAIVERLIN, SAYING ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE FLOODING: "Unfortunately we have to admit that, unfortunately, there was a delay in the response. First of all, it was the individuals who were on the ground who provided assistance. Then The Red Cross provided help. The army arrived. This week the army will start distributing food products." WORKERS REMOVING RUBBLES FROM OPTICAL SHOP WORKER DRILLING PIECE OF METAL FALLING FROM CEILING MAN THROWING RUBBLE INTO DUMP HERSTAL, BELGIUM (AUGUST 11, 2021) (REUTERS) WALLOON GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE SEARCHING THROUGH RUBBLES, PUTTING THINGS IN THE BOOT OF HIS CAR AT ABANDONED ROAD USED FOR DEBRIS STORAGE RUBBLES ON ABANDONED ROAD VARIOUS OF EXCAVATOR HANDLING RUBBLES LIEGE, BELGIUM (AUGUST 11, 2021) (REUTERS) DUMP TRUCK ARRIVING AT PROCESSING PLANT REQUISITIONED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO SHRED RUBBLES VARIOUS OF PILE OF RUBBLES BULLDOZER DRIVER IN HIS CABIN BULLDOZER PUSHING DEBRIS DUMP TRUCK PREPARING TO RECEIVE PROCESS DEBRIS BULLDOZER POURING SHREDDED DEBRIS INTO DUMP PILE OF RUBBLES SOFT TOY IN RUBBLES
- Embargoed: 27th August 2021 09:01
- Keywords: Aftermath Belgian Belgium Climate change Flood Flooding Liege Rain Rainfall Weather cleanup debris destroyed buildings destruction food distribution victim
- Location: LIEGE, PEPINSTER, HERSTAL AND TROOZ, BELGIUM
- City: LIEGE, PEPINSTER, HERSTAL AND TROOZ, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Europe,Floods
- Reuters ID: LVA001EQ43K1Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITOR PLEASE NOTE: EDIT 5038-CLIMATE-FLOODS/BELGIUM-ONE MONTH-FILE CONTAINS FOOTAGE OF THE FLOODS THAT OCCURRED IN BELGIUM IN JULY
One month after devastating floods in Belgium, residents and volunteers said efforts are picking up pace to rebuild battered towns, but some lamented the slow start to recovery efforts and said months of disruption are still ahead.
Flooding swept through parts of southern and eastern Belgium in mid-July, killing 41 people and leaving a trail of destruction that cut power supplies and swept away whole houses.
"We have to admit that unfortunately there was a delay in the response," said Alex Baiverlin, head of social services for the municipality of Pepinster.
A dozen buildings collapsed in the eastern town near Liege, and residents were evacuated from more than 1,000 homes amid severe flooding.
Baiverlin said the authorities' priority is to secure accommodation for homeless victims.
"We need to find as much housing as possible for the victims whose houses will have to be pulled down because they have been declared unstable by experts," he said.
Power supplies have returned, but gas supplies are not expected to resume until the end of the year - leaving many residents heading into winter without heating.
"Now we have to start rebuilding, equipping the houses: electricity, wiring. Electricity meters have been reinstalled, fine, but we are nowhere (close to normal). We are nowhere near," said Jose Chacon, a mechanic whose house was devastated by running water in the town of Trooz.
Charlotte Depierreux, a restaurant owner in Liege who launched a soup kitchen for flood victims, said victims still need to rely on food aid as they have not yet been able to replace the household appliances they lost in the floods.
"They have lost their cars and do not necessarily have the money to buy those appliances. So yes, food aid is helpful. I know people need it. Having said that, I think we should now empower people and allow them to re-equip themselves so they can cook," she said.
The floods, which also devastated towns in Germany, are the latest in a string of destructive extreme weather events to hit Europe - including deadly heatwaves in Italy and catastrophic wildfires in Greece.
Scientists have said climate change is causing heavier downpours, because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. A scientific study on the role of climate change in these specific floods is due to be published later this month.
Christina Haas, a 20-year-old student who lives in Pepinster, said the disaster had taken a mental toll.
"The morale hit is hard to handle and we are afraid when it starts to rain. We tell ourselves that the water will rise again. We are afraid that the buildings will collapse on someone walking on the street, this kind of things. It's complicated. We cannot speak of a normal life at the moment. I don't know when we can, but it will take a lot of time," she said.
(Production: Clement Rossignol) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
