The Netherlands once again sends four emergency pumps to France due to floods. Due to the huge amount of rainwater that fell on France recently, France asked the European Union for help. There are a lot of floods in northern France. A team of experts will leave for France with the emergency pumps on Thursday, January 4.
In November 2023, four emergency pumps were also sent to France to help deal with the massive amount of rainwater. Now this is necessary again.
Minister Harpers: There has been heavy rain recently, which means that water in France can no longer drain properly. In many places, rivers have already burst their banks. That's why it's important to help each other get rid of the water as quickly as possible. Dutch emergency pumps and experts will go to the area to provide this assistance.”
Departure to France
The first two emergency pumps will depart on Thursday with two pump experts from the Rijkswaterstaat, three trucks and a crane for the French cities of Dunkirk and Calais. The other two emergency pumps will likely be moved on Saturday. Each pump can process five million liters of water per hour.
The situation in the Netherlands
Naturally, the situation in the Netherlands itself was taken into account when considering supplying pumps to France on behalf of the Netherlands. It has been raining a lot here recently. The Rijkswaterstaat and the Water Board are monitoring the situation closely. At this point, the water can drain quickly. The Netherlands has a total of 20 emergency pumps, 10 of which can handle five million liters per hour and 10 of which can handle three million liters per hour. The emergency pumps that were provided to France are now not needed in the Netherlands.
