1/6 All hands on deck at the water board
The Aa en Maas water board is taking extra measures to prevent their area from flooding. At Veghel, a large water storage area is being used for the first time to collect all the water. No sailing is allowed on the Zuid-Willemsvaart on Wednesday. “It is rare what we see now,” says crisis management advisor Brenda Arends of the water board. She is taking into account problems because rain is forecast at the end of the week. The water board employees are working day and night to keep an eye on the water.
The village of Middelrode seems to be almost surrounded by water. Meadows are flooded and the water flows quickly just under the bridges. The villagers come to look at it curiously. The viewers are not really worried yet.
“I think it’s nice to see,” says a local resident near the Seldensate estate, where the Aa is significantly overflowing its banks. “Our pasture is now only water, where our horse normally walks. But it’s part of it, with the rain. It is something powerful to see. We had a much worse flood in the 1970s, when our birds in the garden drowned.”
“It has never been this full”
It is also the intention that meadows near the village will be flooded. “We have made the Aa meander here,” says Arends. “It used to be a straight canal. Areas that may flood have been deliberately designated here. But it has never been this full.”
Some people are concerned. The water board also receives many calls from worried people. “On Christmas Day, 96 calls came in on a day when normally only 1 or 2 come in,” says Arends. “So now there is a call panel to receive phone calls.”
“I have to get out at night to keep everything dry”
Some people worry about water getting too close to the house. “If we think it has to do with us, we always go and look,” says Arends.
The cellar of one of the local residents near the fast-flowing Aa has been flooded. “It is beautiful, but there is too much water now. We have a basement, so you know what happens. It is pumping away every day. I also have to get out at night to keep everything dry.” says the local resident.
The water board decided on Tuesday to use a water storage area of 225 thousand cubic meters south of Veghel to keep the village dry. “That is the first time,” says Arends.
Shipping on the nearby Zuid-Willemsvaart will also remain stationary for an extra day. “Ships never sail at Christmas. Now an extra day has been added so that the Aa is relieved, otherwise the water would be much higher here.” The water board also keeps a storage area in reserve at Helmond.
“This is also nice to experience”
But people do not have to worry yet, says the water board. “The water levels can still rise a bit before they really reach the dikes.” The water board’s field service carries out constant inspections. “So Christmas or not, everyone likes to do it. This is also nice to experience. And if it remains manageable, then that’s fine too.”
People are welcome to come and watch the high tide. “But be careful. In some places the water flows very quickly. Keep your distance.”
The flooded nature in Brabant is clearly visible in these drone images:
Who should you call in case of flooding?
