Seconded By: Frank Meo,
The floods that hit southern Belgium in the summer of 2021 caused unprecedented human and material damage. Never before has my country experienced such an environmental catastrophe. Scientists agree that the intensity of the torrential rains in July 2021 is mainly due to climate change. In August 2021, a few weeks after the floods had subsided, I began a “memorial” photographic project, capturing the consequences of the floods in six different valleys. Over the next eighteen months, I travelled up each of these rivers several times to photograph the aftermath of the floods. The choice of working in a hyper panoramic photographic format enabled me to capture the extent of the valleys, the length of the rivers and the scale of the disaster. Every town, village, street or house, just like every forest, farmland or river has its own specific rhythm of resilience, and that rhythm is slow. The realization of this work reinforces my belief that it is absolutely necessary to show what is happening in our regions, that have long been spared the serious consequences of climate change. A rigorous work methodology coupled with a documentary photographic approach have enabled to map the destruction and reconstruction processes underway.
Stripped bark
In the Vesdre valley, between the towns of Chaudfontaine and Trooz, trees have lost their bark following numerous impacts with objects such as washing machines, furniture, cars and soil washed away.
Devastated home
The town of Pepinster, through which the Vesdre and Hoëgne rivers flow, has been devastated by flooding. The death toll has risen to 7, dozens of buildings have collapsed or been knocked down, and a third of the population has been affected.
Emptied house
In Eupen, a town a few kilometers from the Vesdre dam, houses were emptied by the deluge that swept through the valley.
Broken bridge
At the entrance to Trooz, the Fenderie bridge was severely damaged and the neighborhood it served, located on a bend in the Vesdre, was devastated.
The bench
The town of Rochefort is crossed by the Lhomme river, which burst its banks with unforeseeable speed and violence. The river swept away astronomical quantities of earth and stones, raising the ground by several dozen centimetres.
Unearthed roots
Just outside the town of Rochefort, in the Lhomme valley, dozens of cubic metres of earth encircled a tree, exposing all its roots.
Fallen trees
Near Houyet in the Lesse valley, the intensity of the current and the height of the water transformed the river into a raging torrent, smashing hundreds of trees in its path.
The tent
Several months after the floodwaters receded, the owner of this devastated house decided to move back into his home and sleep in a tent.
Tourists return
On the banks of the Lesse in Wanlin, a year after the floods, tourists are once again enjoying the river.
Sorted waste
150 thousand tons of waste were collected, gathered and sorted. This freeway slip road was used as a storage site, and the work is now almost complete.
