After the heavy rainfall and floods caused major destructions in the Francophone part of the country, the water level of the Meuse river in Flanders has now also risen to the point that the dyke may break.
Six Flemish municipalities along the river were already evacuated on Thursday evening, but in Maaseik, the worst is predicted to happen in the afternoon today.
"Experts expect the water to keep rising until noon. We, therefore, ask you to stay away from Maaseik," said mayor Johan Tollenaere. "Do not come shopping, do not come to work (telework if possible), do not visit."
"It is going to be a few scary hours," he said.
A lot is hinging on the Monsin dam, just above the particularly hard-hit city of Liège.
If that dam fails, a mass of extra water will come from Liège into Limburg, turning the already critical situation into "a disaster" for parts of Limburg, according to provincial governor Jos Lantmeeters.
With only two of the six sluice gates working, the worst-case scenario is unfortunately not unthinkable. "As long as all the problems in Liège are not resolved, we do not know whether that lock will hold," he said.
In the meantime, the river has already started flowing over the dyke, with reports of water even coming up from the ground.
"We probably will not know until tomorrow morning whether we have made it," said Lantmeeters.
What do you think? Let @johnstonjules know. Or @maithechini, since she wrote it today.
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