Dozens of damage reports after heavy thunderstorms

By Janene Pieters on June 5, 2019 - 07:39
A tree fell onto the overhead line between Eindhoven and Helmond, 4 June 2019
A tree fell onto the overhead line between Eindhoven and Helmond, 4 June 2019. (Photo: ProRail/Twitter)

The thunderstorms that crossed the Netherlands on Tuesday night caused damage throughout the country. Dozens of reports were received, most regarding fallen trees or roofs being blown from houses. One person was hospitalized after a tree fell on a moving car, NOS reports.

Veiligheidsregio IJsselland received around a hundred damage reports, the safety office said on Twitter.  Most of the reports made in this region came from Deventer, Zwartsluis and Vollenhove. Campsite Oldenhof in Vollenhove was hit hard by the storm. Guests were forced to spend the night in the main building. A fairground attraction was damaged in Deventer, and an asbestos roof from a shed blew onto the track. A tree landed on two moving cars in Zwartsluis. The people in the cars were checked over by paramedics, one was taken to hospital.

The stormy weather also hit Rheden in Gelderland hard. The fire brigade responded to multiple reports of roof tiles being blown off houses, the brigade said on Twitter. "Residents are talking about a whirlwind", a spokesperson for the fire brigade said to Omroep Gelderland. The roof of a trailer also blew off, making the home uninhabitable.

"It really scared me. I have three sons. The glass was smashed in, there is glass everywhere", a Rheden resident said to the broadcaster. "I have no words. It looked like a tornado. It was a tornado." Another resident told Omroep Gelderland that he suffered a lot of damage to his house. "It was a fierce storm. A big gust of wind, and all the roof tiles came off. Also the facade is damaged and the tiles went through the car window." There is, however, a sliver lining. "The tree I had been quarreling over with the municipality for five years: it's finally down."

Eindhoven also had problems with fallen trees. A tree ended up on a car containing a woman and three young children, according to NU.nl. As  far as is known, no one was hurt. 

The storm also caused a lot of problems on the track. Overhead lines were damaged by lightning strikes and trees fell on the rails. At 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday, NS reported seven problems on the track, six of which seem to be storm related. No train traffic is possible between Apeldoorn and Deventer due to broken overhead lines. NS expects that it will take until at least 1:30 p.m. to resolve this problem. And no trains are running between Eindhoven and Weert and Eindhoven and Venlo because ProRail is still removing trees from the tracks. 

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