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The RMI predicts local, strong thunderstorms with a lot of precipitation in a short time, hail and wind gusts from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night. That is why the RMI has announced code orange for thunderstorms in the east of the country, code yellow then applies in West Flanders. The FPS Home Affairs temporarily activates the number 1722.
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jvhSource: BELGIAN
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The RMI emphasizes that the cells with the heaviest precipitation intensity will occur in smaller areas and will last less than last week. However, local flooding is likely.
Code orange has been announced in the capital and in the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, East Flanders, Liège, Namur, Hainaut, Luxembourg and Walloon Brabant: that is where the heaviest showers will take place. In West Flanders, locally fierce thunderstorms can occur: the RMI has announced code yellow for that province. The warning is in effect from 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon to 3 a.m.
Number 1722 activated
The FPS Home Affairs temporarily activates the number 1722. For storm and water damage for which you need assistance from the fire brigade, you can submit an application via the e-counter 1722.be or call 1722. You can only call 112 in situations that are potentially life-threatening.
The number 1722 is preemptively activated when a storm or flooding is announced. The fact that the number is activated says nothing about the severity of the warning and the extent of any damage.
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Minister Demir: “Vigilance remains necessary”
Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) also called on earlier in the day to remain “vigilant”. The Flemish Environment Agency has emptied holding basins, and in principle there is sufficient capacity to absorb the predicted and not too large amounts of precipitation. But local nuisance cannot be completely ruled out.
According to Demir, the most risky area is along the navigable Demer down Diest. On the route between Diest and Aarschot, the Vlaamse Waterweg is taking various emergency measures in close collaboration with the VMM and the municipalities involved to reduce the pressure on the Demer dikes and, if necessary, to use the wetlands along the Demer for additional storage of flood water.
And the Walloon Waterways Directorate is also calling for vigilance this weekend because of the predicted precipitation. “Disruption of normal stormwater runoff and saturation of drainage networks can occur, even in unusual places,” it said. Local flooding is also possible for the larger waterways. However, the amount of precipitation predicted by the RMI is not sufficient to cause major flooding, it still sounds.
ALSO READ: Why the RMI didn’t talk about “floods” and the “colossal mistake” with the dam
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