Exceptional storm can kill up to 4.000 people on the coast
A third of the Belgian coast is vulnerable in the event of major storms and rising sea levels, reveals a coastal risk study carried out by the Coast department of the Flemish authorities. The study, which was reported on Saturday in the Flemish press, pinpoints weak points in the coastal installations, the ports and the embankments of Middelkerke, Ostende (from Raversijde to the center) and the center of Wenduine.
The engineers took as a scenario an exceptional storm, a "millennium" storm. They estimate that, if nothing changes, such a storm could cause up to 4.000 deaths and 3 billion damage. The Integrated Coastal Safety Plan (Geïntegreerd Kustveiligheidsplan - GKVP) should help prevent such a disaster scenario from occurring. The Coast Department of the Flemish government has been working on this for two years. This plan includes a whole series of measures such as the addition of sand, the consolidation of the dikes or the raising of the quay walls. (CLA)
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