Municipal employees working late on flooding issues
Yesterday, employees of the municipality of Kerkrade worked late into the night to solve problems caused by heavy rain. In total, we received about 80 reports, ranging from flooded basements to raised manhole covers. These reports came from different parts of Kerkrade and the problems were evenly distributed. Even now, repairs and cleanup of mudslides, for example, continue.
Fortunately, we were able to limit the damage in Eygelshoven, which was severely affected by flooding two years ago. By placing temporary dams made of sandbags, we managed to prevent the water from entering the houses. We hope that the measures taken, such as the closure of the tunnel and the work on Put Street, have helped to reduce the impact. However, it is difficult to compare the situation of two years ago with the current situation, and we are not sure if these measures are sufficient to control the water in the future. Reducing flooding remains a major concern for the municipality of Kerkrade. Alderman Alexander Geers: "We sympathize with the residents who have experienced damage and we will investigate what more we can do to reduce the likelihood of damage for the future."
A remarkable sight was Roda JC's training field on Industriestraat, which was completely flooded. In fact, the field is designed to collect and gradually drain excess water from the Industriestraat. It was the first time we had seen the operation in action. Unfortunately, there was so much rain in a short period of time that several homes still suffered water damage. The municipality itself also experienced flooding yesterday. There was water in the archive basement. Fortunately, no records got wet and everything is now dry again. In order to ensure that our valuable records remain dry in the future, we will investigate what additional measures are needed.