“It was like a tsunami. The current shattered my triple glazing and destroyed everything in my house. “ Franോois still can’t overcome it. Wesdre, whose home is located in Chani, a district in the league, the financial capital of Valonia, was knocked down by a wreck on Wednesday evening. Place du Gravier and its environs reveal a desolate landscape as the water recedes on Friday morning.

The wrecked car is balanced on a railing near the river. Garbage piles up. In homes, residents empty their furniture, obscure papers, and memories. There is not much left to save. Here Wesdre climbed up to 2.50m above the houses. “I was afraid the water would follow us upstairs. It was painful.” Says Francois. He sought refuge there with his 85-year-old mother and cat Pouss.

Despite police requests, Franോois did not want to be evacuated. “I didn’t expect it to be so loud and sudden. I thought to myself that I could take the house. ” A few dozen meters from his home on the west coast of Le West, Le Vieux was torn apart by the Moulin waves. As if destabilized. All that was left was a patch of dull wallpaper pasted into the neighbor’s house, which itself was damaged.

The manager of Sinatra Bar was a little lucky. His cafe in front of Francois’ house is in good condition. But the interior is a muddy exploitation of cables, branches and debris. Tables and chairs “Even the Dart Game” Washed away. “I resumed this business in October 2019. Initially, there were closures related to Kovid. Then the flood. It’s starting to get complicated for me. “ The manager comments.

“This is a life”

The floods experienced by Belgium are unprecedented. “Probably the worst our country has ever known”, Prime Minister Alexander de Crew (VLD, Flemish Liberal Party) told a news conference on Friday, July 16. The torrential downpour killed at least 20 people. A heavier balance sheet. Dozens of people are still missing, including about 30 people in Pepinster, the municipality of Walloon, which has been hit hardest by the crisis.

Authorities declared the disaster a natural disaster. In Vallonia, the worst-hit area, Minister-President Elio de Rupo (Socialist Party) announced that it would release a number of aid, including a 2 2,500 loan, to victims.

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