Road tunnels and homes flooded as storm crosses Belgium

Strong thunderstorms over Brussels and other parts of Belgium early on Thursday morning have caused localised flooding, including more than 50 interventions by the fire brigade in the capital alone.

The heavy rainfall led to flooding in several places in Brussels, including streets and the Georges Henri tunnel in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, which was closed to traffic for a long time as a result.

The Stephanie, Madou, Montgomery, Vleurgat, Porte de Namur and Bailli tunnels were temporarily closed due to flooding and the Cinquantenaire and Loi tunnels were also temporarily closed to traffic heading towards the city centre due to a technical defect.

However, Brussels Mobility described the overall disruption as “not too bad.”

“Because of the holidays, it’s very quiet on the road,” a spokesperson said.

Stib also experienced delays on the tram and metro network because of the flooding, although the problems were soon resolved, and Brussels Airport saw disruption to some flights in the early morning.

There were also interventions at private homes due to flooded garages and basements, with some flooding reportedly reaching a metre high.

Outside of Brussels, the Wallonie Picarde area, near the French border in Hainaut province, saw significant flooding, with emergency services reporting hundreds of calls.

“It’s mainly pumping operations,” authorities said. “Many homes found their cellars under water, with water sometimes reaching the ground floor.”

Several roads were flooded during the night, making them dangerous or even impassable, including the E429 between Ath and Tournai.

The Royal Meteorological Institute’s yellow alert for thunderstorms remains in effect for Thursday, as thunderstorms may continue to develop throughout the country until the evening.