Due to the predicted bad weather in West Flanders, helpline 1722 has been activated for storm and flooding. The Federal Public Service Home Affairs reported this on Monday morning.
The number 1722 is intended for non-life-threatening cases, such as storm or water damage that requires the fire brigade. This way, the emergency line 112 can be reserved for potentially life-threatening situations.
The easiest way to contact 1722 is via the online counter 1722.be. The request is sent directly to the fire brigade. Calling number 1722 is also possible. The call then goes to the operators of the 112 emergency centers. They first handle urgent 112 calls, and only secondarily the calls to 1722. If your fire zone has its own e-desk, you can also go there.
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The Interior advises you to wait patiently for the arrival of the fire brigade team and not to contact them again. “The fire brigade looks at each situation on a case-by-case basis and gives priority to those who may be in mortal danger,” it said. “During a storm or flooding, the fire brigade has to handle many requests at the same time and you have to wait a little longer because the fire brigade first has to help people who are in danger.”
The RMI warns of heavy showers in the west and northwest of the country on Monday morning. Especially in West Flanders, where code yellow applies, a lot of precipitation is expected with 10 to 20 l/m2 until the beginning of this afternoon. With the precipitation that has already fallen yesterday and tonight (5-15 l/m2), a total of 35 l/m2 can be reached in some places.
