Over 300 reports of flooding; more thunderstorms expected today
Summer storms resulted in heavy flooding in the regions of Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland on Friday night, with reports of damages streaming in on Saturday. According to the insurance company Interpolis, more than 300 reports of damages had already been made by midday, the company reported on Saturday.
Most of the damage took place in the vicinity of Tilburg and Rijen, Interpolis said, with a large number of reports of flooded basements and sewers coming from the regions of Etten-Leur and Breda-Tilburg. In addition, the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital in Tilburg is also reported to have suffered damage to its basement and ground floor, RTL Nieuws reported.
The region around The Hague was also affected by localized flooding, the emergency services office there said. They responded to dozens of reports of flooding in homes, stores, and tunnels.
According to the national meteorological service KNMI, more storms are expected on Saturday, particularly in the north and northeast of the country where lightning, hail, and heavy gusts of wind were likely. A Code Yellow warning was issued for the provinces of Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen and Overijssel, along with the area around the IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea.
The KNMI has warned that traffic and outdoor activities may be hindered in these regions, and has called on residents to avoid open bodies of water and not to sit under trees. The weather warning is set to expire at 6 p.m. on Saturday, the KNMI said.
Infrastructure office Rijkswaterstaat also alerted the driving public to the possibility of storms, which were likely to affect road conditions.
