Heavy rainfall and floods are very inadequate words to describe this -- it is therefore really a catastrophe.'' Italy has begun sending search crews and vehicles to Wallonia, the Italian Civil Protection agency said in a statement. Workers from France's Civil Protection Agency arrived in the Belgium province of Liege to assist with recovery and rescue efforts. "Rescuers from the instruction and intervention unit of the (French) Civil Protection carry out the first reconnaissance operations," the French Civil Protection agency said in a post on Twitter, shortly after their arrival. The European Union also activated the civil emergency response mechanism to help areas of Belgium affected by floods, the EU Commission said Thursday in a statement.

Source: CNN July 15, 2021 11:42 UTC