The oppressive heat, the wind and the dark skies. In recent days, old memories have resurfaced among residents of Luyksgestel. On June 23, 2016, a hailstorm caused enormous damage in the village of about 3600 inhabitants. “It looked like a war zone then”, says one resident.
“Yesterday I thought it was more intense than today,” says an elderly lady who is walking her dog. Because of the stormy weather, she brought the camper to storage as a precaution. “It was full of holes in 2016. The damage was extensive. Not only to the camper but also to the house and garden.” She thought it was especially intense when the sky turned very dark and green yesterday.
“It was just as oppressively warm as that Thursday in June.”
The same feeling also prevails with another lady who is quietly removing the weeds in her garden. “The sky on Thursday was also as oppressive as it was that day in 2016. It went just like that day.” This lady also had the roof tiles of the house and there was water damage. “It was really terrible. You just don’t want to experience that. I really thought: not again, huh?”
Nothing seemed to be wrong on Thursday evening, June 23, 2016. But within fifteen minutes the damage was done. Not only in Luyksgestel, but also in Asten and Someren cause hailstones the size of a tennis ball for 500 million euros. Houses, cars and greenhouses were severely damaged. At a cashier in Luyksgestel, a million kilos of glass lay in pieces between his plants. Some cars were declared completely loose.
“I remember well, I could see through the roof of the neighbors.”
A little further on, two men are talking to each other in a front yard. One gentleman is hoeing. The other is standing next to it with a bicycle. The gentleman with the bicycle, gray hair and glasses remembers it well. “It looked like a war zone at the time.” He said that he was visiting a friend at the Dorpsstraat at the time. “I looked outside and the roof tiles were missing everywhere. I could see inside the neighbors from above.” The man continues: “If there is such a storm again, then you really think about it.”
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