It was a Tuesday morning when the Wark, a usually small creek in Ettelbruck, became unable to cope with an unusual volume of water, resulting in flooding of the basement of the local hospital. All patients had to be evacuated or sent home, a situation for which none of the staff had ever been trained.
The evacuation lasted several hours and was finally completed in the evening.
30 years later, Dr Roger Jackmuth, former surgeon at the St. Louis hospital, remembers the day that the water broke through like it was yesterday: “Tables and chairs went through the corridors like projectiles, it would have been really bad if somebody had been hit.”
Soldiers helped fill sandbags to avoid further damage, but most efforts remained in vain and the masses of water were unrelenting. Pierre Kraus, former Mayor of Ettelbruck, later released a statement: “The amicable contract binding people and Wark has abruptly been cancelled by the creek.”
Electricity, heating, as well as the kitchen in the hospital were all affected by the flooding. More than 250 patients needed to be evacuated. Stationary patients were transported to the hospital in the capital with the help of ambulances and helicopters.
Dr Jackmuth recalls that it took until 9pm or 10pm before the hospital was empty: “It was a small miracle that no patient, particularly those in rehabilitation, passed away.”
Civil protection, Gendarmerie, police, and army all had to mobilised once the disaster plan was launched. Major junctures were closed off for regular traffic as a consequence. It was an unprecedented event in the Grand Duchy.
At the time, damages were estimated to be valued at 80 million Luxembourg franc.
