On July 14, 2021, record rainfall in Western Europe caused catastrophic flooding and widespread damage in Belgium after the rivers overflowed their banks. SSSIO volunteers from Belgium, Germany, and Holland immediately sprang into action. In Belgium, seven volunteers traveled to Wallonia to clean the debris brought by the floods and distribute food, clothes, and other items. The group then visited the small village of Nonceveux (Aywaille), which was a hard-hit area, and served warm meals.
SSSIO volunteers found a family with four children living in a small, temporary caravan (mobile home) as their larger caravan was washed away. The family, with four children, had to cook outside and share one double bed. A volunteer said, “We wanted to get them back in the bigger caravan before winter.” The project was complicated since many people did not have insurance, and it was still too wet to begin restoration work.
Moved by the villager’s plight, the SSSIO volunteers adopted the entire village with the support of SSSIO, Zone 7 – especially SSSIO members from Belgium and Holland. They supplied the local people with food, essential supplies, and fuel to warm their caravans and, shortly afterward, began to restore the flooded caravans and chalets. The team completed nine projects, with the last project completed on April 27, 2022. One SSSIO volunteer added, “We are so happy to have this opportunity to do this service (Seva).”
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