Mudslides, flooding and lightning strikes keep firefighters busy in Limburg

The storms on Thursday and early on Friday caused several problems in the south of the Netherlands, particularly in Limburg where a lightning strike caused a fire in a home. Mudslides and flooding also caused issues. There remains a chance of more rain showers this weekend when the Netherlands honors Remembrance Day on Saturday, and celebrates Liberation Day on Sunday.

Lightning struck a home in Nuth, causing the an explosion in the home's utility cupboard. This resulted in a fire, which the resident managed to extinguish himself. The fire brigade responded to the scene to make sure the situation did not flare up. A spokesperson for the fire brigade in the area said that the home sustained considerable damage.

The fire brigade had to respond about 70 times during the overnight period due to flooding in the southern portion of Limburg, and they were not able to provide assistance to everyone. "Unfortunately, people often had to rely on themselves," the spokesperson said. "For example, if their basement has flooded, they have to pump it out themselves."

On Friday morning the fire brigade was still busy with clean-up work, which they were unable to tackle earlier. "It is expected that things will return to normal," the spokesperson said. "There are hardly any reports coming in anymore."

Flooding and mudslides from stormy night

Overflowing water retention areas in Valkenburg and Berg en Terblijt also damaged several homes. Three homes were damaged due to the overflow of a Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) water basin near the A79 in Valkenburg. RWS, together with the fire brigade, started pumping water out of the basin. "The situation is stable again," a fire brigade spokesperson said on Friday morning. "The danger has passed."

A water retention area also flooded in Berg en Terblijt, causing a large mudslide. The mud and debris entered homes, causing extensive damage. The mud flow made its way down a street that was already broken up due to construction work. About 50 homes are located in the affected area.

The spokesperson could not say how many of them suffered damage. A representative for the emergency services office told broadcaster L1 that the street was considerably damaged by the heavy rainfall.

The municipality of Meerssen also said that there was gravel and mud on several roads due to the enormous water flow. The municipality was using sweeper trucks to clean the streets. Manhole covers were also dislodged due to the large amount of water.

A bicycle tunnel under the A2 between Rothem and Meerssen was closed due to flooding. It will remain that way until the tunnel has been cleaned.