Thousands of Dutch Urged to Leave Their Homes as Rivers Flood

Thousands of Dutch Urged to Leave Their Homes as Rivers Flood
Lifeguards walk through a flooded street, following heavy rainfalls, in Valkenburg, Netherlands, July 15, 2021. Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

AMSTERDAM—Thousands of people in the south of the Netherlands on Thursday were urged to leave their houses quickly to escape floods as rivers were on the brink of bursting their banks.

Several towns and villages along the Meuse river in the province of Limburg strongly advised people to seek refuge until at least Friday afternoon, as there was a large chance that their homes would be flooded in the coming hours.

A flooded street is seen following heavy rainfalls in Valkenburg, Netherlands, on July 15, 2021. (Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters)
A flooded street is seen following heavy rainfalls in Valkenburg, Netherlands, on July 15, 2021. Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

Water levels on the Meuse and the Rur reached record levels on Thursday, surpassing the levels that led to large floods in 1993 and 1995, local authorities said.

In Valkenburg, in the far south of Limburg, close to the Belgian and German border, floods had already engulfed the town center, forcing the evacuation of several nursing homes and destroying at least one bridge.

People are evacuated from a flood-affected area, following heavy rainfalls in Valkenburg, Netherlands, on July 15, 2021. (Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters)
People are evacuated from a flood-affected area, following heavy rainfalls in Valkenburg, Netherlands, on July 15, 2021. Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

Drone footage showed brown water coursing over car parks and parkland. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visited Valkenburg on Thursday evening to show their support.

Scores of houses have been flooded in the province, where hundreds of soldiers have been sent to help fight the rising waters.

A flooded street is seen following heavy rainfalls in Valkenburg, Netherlands, on July 15, 2021. (Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters)
A flooded street is seen following heavy rainfalls in Valkenburg, Netherlands, on July 15, 2021. Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

But with no casualties reported, the situation so far is much less severe than in neighboring Germany where dozens of people have died and others were missing on Thursday as rivers burst their banks and swept away homes.

By Bart Meijer