PEPINSTER, Belgium (AP) — Survivors of the massive flooding that crashed through parts of Western Europe are confronting haunting memories and the daunting task of cleaning up and making repairs. But they are also remembering to be grateful. More than 160 people in Belgium and Germany didn’t survive the storm-induced deluges. One family in the Belgian town of Pepinster watched the water race into their home “like a tsunami” and ended up waiting nine hours on a roof to be rescued. Many had less dramatic escapes. But they are now returning to homes and businesses devastated by water and mud. They are wondering how they will put their livelihoods back together and contemplating the loss of decades’ worth of possessions.
Survivors recall escape, ponder future after Europe’s floods
