Numerous reports of storm damage to emergency services
Emergency services across the country received an influx of storm damage reports on Friday and early Saturday morning. There are hundreds of reports per region. This applies not only to coastal regions such as Haaglanden and the north of Noord-Holland, but also to Limburg, where a code yellow warning was issued.
The bulk of the reports were about fallen trees, loosened roofs, facades and roof panels, and other blown away materials like outdoor furniture and solar panels. Roads and railways were blocked by fallen trees.
The fire brigade in Haaglanden said it had to deploy “a lot of extra vehicles and personnel.” By the end of Friday evening, the number of reports had decreased enough that the fire brigade could also deal with less urgent incidents.
In the north of Noord-Holland, more than 310 people called the emergency room. In Midden- and West Brabant, there were around 400 emergency room calls.
Although Limburg was under a code yellow warning instead of code red, emergency services still received at least 800 reports: 400 in the north of the province and 400 in the south. A spokesperson for the Limburg Noord security region said on Saturday morning that there were probably more, but an up-to-date overview was still missing on Saturday morning.
A spokesperson for the Brabant Noord security region said 112 had received around 50 reports. "But a lot of people called the municipality," said the spokesperson. "Many municipalities are ready to clean up. For example, Vught is strewn with small branches."
More than 100 reports were received in the region around Eindhoven. But that is only a rough estimate –– the real number is higher because more people called local fire stations, a spokesperson said.
Not all security regions can provide an overview on Saturday. Some will only provide an overview on Saturday, Sunday or even Monday.
Reporting by ANP