1/3 Bert and Karin de Jonge in the hamlet of Fraipont in Wallonia (photo: Alice van der Plas).
It’s a forgotten disaster. Bert and Karin de Jonge from Geldrop think so. Twice a week they therefore drive a van and trailer to a few small villages in Wallonia in Belgium. The residents are still dealing with the consequences of the disastrous floods in the summer of 2021.
Bert loads a large amount of loaves of bread into his van on an early Saturday morning. Bakker Van de Ven from Venhorst helps. “I still have a baker in Luyksgestel who helps”, Bert beams. He points to large cans of paint. “Those are miscolors. Such a jar costs 150 euros each. Some people can redecorate their homes.”
So the paint is welcome. And white goods. And furniture. And clothes. And food. It is collected in the church of the village of Nessonvaux. Residents can come and get things there. The church is located a little higher on a hill in the village. “But the water has stood here too.” Bert points to a house next to the church with new windows. “They have been there for four weeks. That house had no windows for a year and a half. No one knows where the residents have gone.”
“The water has brought us together.”
Villagers indicate in their houses how high the water came. So is Dominique Brouwers and her friend André Crahay. They live right on the river Vesder, which suddenly burst its banks due to heavy rainfall. The water rose to a height of one and a half meters in the living room. “The people here were really surprised by a tidal wave,” says Bert.
The inhabitants are angry with the government and the insurance companies that do not do enough in their eyes. “It is the Flemings who have come to help,” says a resident. “They are the ones who knocked on doors with coffee when we couldn’t cook anything. And they are still helping now.” She gives Bert and Karin a big kiss. “Merci beaucoup”, they are told. “The water has brought us all together,” says Bert.
“The car drifted away. There was a big fish swimming down the street.”
Dominique and André have a small son. He’s still traumatized. He doesn’t like it when it rains hard. A lot has happened before his eyes. “At one point the car drifted away,” says André. “And there was a big fish swimming down the street.” Dominique and André live in a neighborhood where people were not so well off. The region is poor, which makes it difficult for a group of people to recover.
It is freezing cold while Bert and Karin walk through the hamlet of Fraipont with loaves of bread. “There is something very sad about it,” says Karin. “A lady lives on that corner who still lives on the top floor,” says Bert. All shutters are down. “People here are shy. They are ashamed of their situation.”
For the time being, Bert and Karin will continue with the aid transports to Belgium. Although the van is now almost breaking down and the petrol costs are not wrong. Shortly after the floods, Bert and Karin started their relief efforts through a friend in Geulen. The couple soon ended up in Belgium. “And now we can’t stop,” laughs Bert.