At its monthly "City Breakfast" press conference on Wednesday, the Luxembourg City municipality addressed the recent flooding in Val de Hamm and the persistent shortage of childcare placements, with 673 children currently on waiting lists.

At the traditional "City Breakfast" press conference on Wednesday, the Luxembourg City municipality addressed two primary issues: the recent flooding and childcare challenges for the new school year.

Regarding the floods, Mayor Lydie Polfer clarified that last Monday's event was far less severe than the 2021 incident. While the Alzette river rose to 4.44m in 2021, it peaked at 2.77m this time. However, Mayor Polfer stressed that significant damage still occurred in Val de Hamm, emphasising that a solution must be found in collaboration with its residents.

She explained that the municipality has already put forward several proposals, though no agreement has been reached yet. The mayor expressed confidence that a solution will be found, stating: "All other measures, even a retention basin upstream, were not sufficient for this amount of rain – and you can't expect anyone to put up with that."

To aid affected residents, the municipality is offering a free collection service for flood-damaged items.

Shifting to the new school year, Mayor Polfer highlighted the ongoing concern of waiting lists for childcare facilities. Currently, 673 children are on the list. The mayor identified staff recruitment as the central problem, noting stringent requirements for the number and qualifications of personnel per facility.

Currently, 480 educational staff are employed in the city's children's homes. While the municipality is actively working to reduce the waiting lists, the mayor acknowledged that the task is challenging.

In separate announcements, the city confirmed another informal meeting with the police is scheduled for 9 October from 4pm to 6pm at the "Madame Jeanette" restaurant on Rue de Strasbourg.